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What's the story?
New Barcelona signing Junior Firpo has revealed how Lionel Messi reacted to old abusive tweets that he directed towards the Argentine talisman when he was 15.
In case you didn't know ...
Firpo departed Real Betis for Barcelona this summer in a deal that is worth around £27.5 million after impressing the Catalan giants with his solid displays last season.
The defender made 24 La Liga appearances for Real Betis last term and netted three goals, while putting in strong defensive performances.
Earlier this month, the young full-back made the headlines after a series of disparaging tweets he sent out about Messi in 2012 resurfaced online.
In the tweets, the 22-year-old was seen bragging about his ability to break the Argentine forward's legs "with one kick" and even branded the five-time Ballon d'Or winner a son of a bi***".
Another tweet read, "I do not give a cr** that sh**** rat Messi got injured. I hope he dies and stops scoring goals hahaha."
Firpo has since apologised for the tweets, explaining that it was "kids stuff" and claimed it was his best friend who tweeted about the Barcelona captain.
The heart of the matter
In an interview with SPORT, Firpo revealed how Messi responded to the tweets when he finally met him on the training ground. When asked if he has crossed paths with the 34-year-old, the full-back replied,
"Of course. I see him every day in the changing room.
"I know you're asking this because of the old tweets I made but that's in the past and we've squashed that. It isn't something I want to make a bigger deal out of.
"I don't think he even knew. I was a kid who came through the academy at Betis and I don't think Messi is going to care about that."
What's next?
After being left on the bench for Barcelona's La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao last weekend, Firpo will hope to make his competitive debut for the Catalans against his former club on Sunday.
