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AS Roma director Tiago Pinto has stated that he does not understand the controversy surrounding his comments about Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona.
He made reference to Messi's departure from Barcelona when addressing speculation surrounding Nicolo Zaniolo's future.
Speaking to DAZN, the 37-year-old revealed that he can make no guarantees about the Italian midfielder's future, considering the 34-year-old's shock departure from Camp Nou.
“I cannot deny I was surprised by all this noise around Zaniolo. After all, we are in an era where Messi left Barcelona, so nobody can guarantee anything,”
“Zaniolo is one of the main players at Roma, he has a contract until 2024. I am here to learn, but it’s a situation I just don’t understand. I am glad the fans did not twist my words the way the media did. I won’t talk about Zaniolo anymore.”
With Zaniolo highly-rated and linked to several clubs, Pinto's comments were taken to mean that the 22-year-old's future lay away from the Italian capital.
This led to Jose Mourinho coming out to clarify Zaniolo's importance to AS Roma's cause.
The former Inter Milan man started the Giallorossi's most recent Serie A game against Genoa. The capital side needed maximum points against their relegation-threatened visitors to keep pace with the top four. However, they had to endure a frustrating evening in front of their fans.
Zaniolo thought he had scored a late winner after Genoa had been reduced to 10 men but his 90th-minute strike was disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up. This seemingly got to Zaniolo and he was sent off in injury time for dissent.
Can Zaniolo become a club legend at Roma like Messi did at Barcelona?
Tiago Pinto's comments about Messi's departure from Barcelona might have been miscontrued but there are several elements of truth to it.
The Argentina international was a symbol of the Catalans due to his two-decade association with the club. The thought of him wearing colors other than those of the Blaugrana was unfathomable.
However, his shock departure to PSG highlighted the unpredictable nature of football transfers and almost anything is possible in today's market.
Nicolo Zaniolo is one of the highest-rated youngsters in the world and despite having seen his progress curtailed by a long-term injury, he is still in high demand.
As much as Roma fans will want to see him progress and become a club legend in the mold of Francesco Totti and Danielle de Rossi. However, bigger clubs have already begun to circle around their prized assets and it remains to be seen what the future holds for Nicolo Zaniolo.
