Lionel Messi does not enjoy talking to the media. Rarely interviewed and seldom speaking at press conferences, Barcelona's Argentine forward is an hermetic figure who rarely shares his thoughts and feelings with the outside world. This time, however, he had something to say.
The 26-year-old, who is currently in his homeland as he recovers from a troublesome hamstring injury which has seen him miss the last month of action for Barca, got in touch with Catalan radio RAC1 to discuss two topics on Friday. And he wasn't mincing his words.
First up was a passionate defence of his father following claims by a Madrid newspaper of criminal activity in the organisation of the benefit matches by the Leo Messi Foundation over the summer. "I deeply regret what is being said about my father and my friends because what we do in those matches is 100 per cent for charity," he said in a prepared statement. "I am very close to my father and as long as he wants to, he will be president of my companies and my Foundation.
Such a reaction was to be expected from the four-time Ballon d'Or winner, who enjoys a very strong relationship with his father. What came next, however, was a bombshell.
The Argentine hit out at Barca's economic vice-president, Javier Faus, following quotes made to the same station earlier this month by the director. "I don't see why we should [renew Messi's contract again]," Faus had told RAC1. "He has just signed a new contract until 2018 - and we don't have to offer an improved contract every six months."
Those words were not what the Argentine wanted to hear, especially as he has since seen Cristiano Ronaldo pen an even more lucrative deal at Real Madrid. "Faus is a person who knows nothing about football and he wants to run Barca like a business, but it isn't," Messi said on Friday. And clearly reading from a pre-prepared document as he spoke, the Argentine added: "Barca is the best club in the world and it should be run by the best directors in the world."
Word of the Argentine's annoyance had already reached Barca president Sandro Rosell and the Catalans' chief attempted to smooth over the situation on Thursday by claiming Messi merits even more than his current €16 million per year. "I haven't spoken to him about this, but the club offices are open," Rosell said as he announced an imminent new deal for Andres Iniesta. "But the world's best player deserves to be the highest-paid player," he added.
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