Lionel Messi happy at Barcelona, blasts ‘lies’

Andy West 05:34 13/01/2015
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  • Healing effect: Lionel Messi celebrates with Neymar during Barcelona’s excellent 3-1 win over Atletico.

    Lionel Messi has insisted that he is happy at Barcelona and has no intention of leaving the club, blasting reports that he has been contemplating his future following a bitter bust-up with manager Luis Enrique as “lies.”

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    Although Messi chose not to make any public comment throughout last week as the speculation and rumours intensified, he broke his silence in emphatic style after producing a brilliant performance to inspire his team’s impressive 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.

    “I have no intention of going anywhere,” he asserted in an interview with the club’s in-house television channel.

    “I haven’t asked for anything to stay here because I have never wanted to go anywhere else. I have heard that I have spoken to Chelsea and Manchester City, but it’s all lies. 

    “I want people to know that everything that has been said is false.” 

    The crux of the matter is the state of Messi’s relationship with his boss Enrique, with the speculation over his supposed discontent fuelled by reports of a complete breakdown in relations between the pair, allegedly leading Messi to meet with president Josep Maria Bartomeu and demand Enrique’s sacking.

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    Enrique did nothing to dispel those rumours in the lead up to Sunday’s match by refusing to confirm or deny the stories, but Messi was unequivocal in his claim that there are no problems between himself and this coach.

    “I didn’t ask for him to be sacked, I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “I am tired of hearing things about me.

    “They say that I run the club when I am just another player. I don’t make those decisions, nor have I asked to make them. I’m just like any other player.”

    Messi was also keen to emphasise that this current spate of headlines is by no means the first time he has been misrepresented in the media during his decade in the spotlight.

    “I have heard people say everything possible, that I got on badly with a lot of players. In the past there have been stories that I had bad relationships with Guardiola, Eto’o, Ibrahimovic and Bojan, that I have got rid of people,” he added.

    “That is in no way true. I never asked for them to get rid of the coach or anyone else.”

    And the Argentine, who scored his team’s third goal and created the first two in the victory over Atletico, also angrily suggested
    that the local Catalan media have been responsible for generating the recent rumours.

    “Some people want to damage us by throwing stuff at us,” he said. “And this time it hurts because it comes from Barcelona, not Madrid like usually.”

    Messi also reflected on a first win in seven meetings with Atletico, who sealed last season’s Primera Division title on their last visit to the Nou Camp.

    “We knew that it was going to be a very difficult game and that it would define the future of our season,” added Messi.

    “Atletico have made things difficult for us since (Diego) Simeone arrived but we went straight for them from the start.

    “They are a very difficult team to play against, they have great players who run their socks off and create good chances, but we controlled them.”

    Messi also insisted referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco was wrong to award Atletico a spot-kick for his challenge on Jesus Gamez, which proved to be the first ever penalty he has conceded for Barcelona.

    He added: “It wasn’t a penalty but that was the first time they had got in our area.”

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