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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi once hit out at former club director Eric Abidal for his criticism of players. The incident occurred in 2020 when the former French defender was serving as the Catalans' director of football.
Speaking in February that year, Abidal outlined the reason behind Ernesto Valverde's sacking. The Spanish manager was relieved of his duties in January following a defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de España.
Abidal had claimed that many Barcelona players were unsatisfied with the Spanish manager and were not working hard under him. The comments infuriated Lionel Messi, who responded to the Frenchman on Instagram.
Highlighting a section of Abidal's quotes, La Pulga dared him to name individuals instead of tarnishing the image of the entire squad.
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"I honestly don't like to do these things, but I think everyone has to be responsible for their tasks and take care of their decisions. The players [are responsible for] what happens on the pitch and we are also the first to recognise when we are not playing well," Messi wrote (via Sportstar).
He continued:
"Those responsible for the area of sports management must also assume their responsibilities and especially for the decisions they make. Finally, I think that when talking about players we should give names, because if not we are all getting dirtied and feeding things that are said but aren't true."
Abidal was removed from his position in August that year following Barcelona's 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.
When did Lionel Messi leave Barcelona?
Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 after the club failed to renew his contract. The Argentine icon rose through the ranks at Camp Nou before announcing himself to the world with the Catalans.
He would go on to win every silverware on offer with the LaLiga giants between 2004 and 2021, becoming their most decorated player with 35 trophies. La Pulga is also the club's record goalscorer with 672 goals from 778 games.
Lionel Messi also has 303 assists to his name for Barcelona, the most in the club's history. The Catalans, however, failed to hand him a new deal in the summer of 2021, owing to their poor financial situation.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner ultimately joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a Bosman move that summer. After two seasons at the Parc des Princes, Messi moved to Inter Miami, where he currently plies his trade.
