Lionel Messi
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has come out to demise the report that Argentina 33-year-old forward Lionel Messi will not leave the Spanish club side he further said Lionel Messi will “end his working and footballing life at Barcelona.” Josep Maria Bartomeu dismissed reports the Argentina international, was unwilling to renew his contract when it expires in 2021 with Manchester City keeping a close eye on the player.
The president said: “We are negotiating with many players but Messi has explained to us he wants to stay,” Bartomeu told Spanish network Movistar. “And so we’re going to enjoy him for much longer.”
Bartomeu was speaking following the Catalan club’s 4-1 La Liga win at Villarreal on Sunday evening, which saw them close the gap to leaders Real Madrid to four points. Barcelona failed to impress in their last two games before they picked up all three points against Villareal.
In the early hours of yesterday, Real Madrid played against Athletic Bilbao and won the game thanks to Sergio Ramos converted penalty it guarded Madrid to victory and helped them maintained the top place position in La Liga. The spot-kick was awarded following a VAR review, while Bilbao had a penalty appeal of their own turned down, leading Bartomeu to question the fairness of the technology.
The Barcelona president also said: “I saw the game in Bilbao and although I don’t like to say it, I’ll repeat that VAR is not being used as it should be.” “Since the season returned after the Covid-19 crisis it has not been equal, that has been reflected in the results and it looks as if it always favours the same team.”