Barcelona's captain, Messi, has responded to claims made by Emmanuel Lopes, a relative of a teammate, regarding his influence at the club. He rejected the idea that he is responsible for Griezmann's lack of form and poor integration, stating he is tired of taking the fall for the failures of other players.
Messi's comments are a direct response to accusations from Griezmann's uncle and former agent, who claimed that Messi is at the heart of all the trouble at Camp Nou.
The past year has been an uphill battle for both Messi and Barcelona as the club has declined both administratively and on the pitch. The 2019-20 campaign was a total failure, ending without any trophies and punctuated by a traumatic 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite the appointment of Ronald Koeman to steer the ship after that disappointing run, the club is still struggling to find its rhythm. They are currently sitting in 8th place in La Liga, with a disappointing tally of 11 points after seven matches.
Antoine Griezmann arrived at Barca with high hopes of winning more titles, but his performance has been underwhelming. This has led Emmanuel Lopes and Eric Olhats, Griezmann's uncle and former agent, to publicly defend the Frenchman by aggressively blaming Messi for his struggles.
Speaking on a Spanish TV show, Lopes mentioned that while Griezmann was warned it might take six months to fully integrate into the squad, he never imagined the struggle would last a whole year. He suggested that the situation is only being made worse by Messi's presence and influence in the locker room.
Lopes further alleged that Messi lacks a strong work ethic at the club and claimed that training sessions are unfairly designed to cater to specific individuals.
After arriving at El Prat Airport, Messi told waiting reporters that he is sick of being the designated problem child of the club. He also remarked on how absurd it was to be greeted by tax officials immediately after a grueling 15-hour flight.
Messi is expected to play in Barcelona's upcoming La Liga clash against a top-performing Atletico Madrid, a match that will see Griezmann face off against his former teammates this Saturday.