Lionel Messi: I’m tired of always being the problem at Barcelona

Lionel Messi expressed his frustration at always being labelled the problem at Barcelona after being quizzed on scathing comments made by Antoine Griezmann’s former agent Eric Olhats.

Messi’s issue with the club over the summer was played out publicly as he expressed his intention to leave, with Manchester City holding talks over a deal for one of football’s greatest ever players.

He wanted to use a clause in his contract to leave on a free transfer but Barcelona insisted it was no longer active.

He ended up staying for the 2020/21 season but his relationship with the club seemingly hasn’t improved with links of a possible move to Man City in January or next summer continuing.

Griezmann’s former agent Eric Olhats recently claimed that a ‘deplorable’ Messi oversees a ‘regime of terror’ and went out of his way to unsettle the Frenchman.

The forward was quizzed on the comments by reporters and said: “I’m tired of always being the problem.”

Griezmann joined Barca in 2019 from Atletico Madrid for around £107million but it was a tough first season at the Nou Camp.

He scored just nine LaLiga goals, the first time he’d failed to reach double figures since the 2011/12 season.

The World Cup winner’s former agent made the stunning claims about Messi while speaking to the press.

Speaking to France Football, Olhats said: “Antoine arrived in a struggling club where Messi has a view on everything.

“He’s at the same time emperor and monarch, and he didn’t see Antoine’s arrival with a good eye.

“His attitude has been deplorable, he made him feel that. I’ve always heard Antoine say there’s no problem with Messi, but never the other way around. It is the regime of terror. Either you are with him or you are against him.

“In my eyes, Messi said he wanted to leave to see what role he still had as a decision-making player, regarding the players who arrived and those who left, but he eventually stayed. Classic Messi!

“(He is) as good on the pitch as he is bad off it. Barcelona has been suffering for a while. There was a cancer in that club, and it obviously leaves some marks.”