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Lionel Messi has called for unity at Barcelona after a chaotic 2020 on and off the pitch and has urged supporters to believe the best is yet to come.
The Argentine, who informed the club he wanted to leave in August, says he wants to put an end to the disagreements that have cast a shadow over the Camp Nou.
Messi has given an interview to Albert Masnou at Sport and said the time has come to move on from recent problems. Here are some snippets from the interview that will be published in full on Wednesday.
“After so many disagreements, I would like to put a full stop on everything that’s gone on. We all have to be united and hope that the best is yet to come.
“I assume my mistakes, that if they existed they were only to make a better and stronger FC Barcelona.
“Adding passion and enthusiasm will be the only way to achieve the objectives, always united and rowing in the same direction.”
Messi also said that everything he has done has been for the good of the club.
“I wanted to send a message to all the ‘socis’ and to all the culés. If at some point something that I said or did could bother him, make no mistake that I always did it thinking about the best for the club.”
The 33-year-old’s future at Barcelona remains uncertain after his failed attempt to leave last month. He’s in the final year of his current contract and can walk away for free next summer if he does not renew.
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Messi Blasts Barcelona Over Suarez
Messi’s interview comes just days after he took aim at Barcelona over the departure of team-mate Luis Suarez. The Uruguay international has left after seven years and joined rivals Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine is a close friend of Suarez and expressed his feelings about the move in a candid post on Instagram where he criticized the club’s treatment of the striker.
“It’s going to be strange seeing you wearing another shirt and much more facing you. You deserved to leave like what you are: one of the most important players in club history, achieving important things both as a group and individually. And not to get kicked out like they did. But the truth is that at this point I’m no longer surprised.”
Suarez made his debut for Atletico on Sunday in a 6-1 win over Granada. The striker scored twice after arriving as a substitute.
Barcelona Make Strong Start to Season
Yet Messi was also on target in his first appearance of the season. The captain scored a penalty in a 4-0 win over Villarreal in what was new manager Ronald Koeman’s first competitive game in charge.
The win has helped lift some of the gloom around the club after a traumatic summer that saw the team thrashed in the Champions League by Bayern Munich and uncertainty over Messi’s future.
Koeman will now be hoping his team can maintain that form and make a strong start to the season. Barca face a tricky trip to Celta Vigo next and have a poor record at Balaidos. The Catalan giants have not won at Celta in La Liga since April 2015.
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