Lionel Messi left dejected after 6 top Barcelona players 'blacklist' him already?

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been struggling at Camp Nou, ever since the burofax saga. Although he continues to have a wider impact for the team on the field, his relation with his teammates is reported to have hit a roadblock as he sees out his final season of his Barcelona contract. Recent revelations suggest six players have decided not to speak with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Also Read | Barcelona 2020 review: Lionel Messi transfer saga, boardroom chaos and that Bayern defeat

Messi blacklisted by six teammates?

Messi has been at loggerheads with the club board since the previous summer when the burofax saga rocked the Camp Nou. Although the Argentina international went on to continue at the club, he has been left dejected by some of his teammates in the dressing room following the recent controversies surrounding him.

According to a report by Diario Gol, six of Messi’s Barcelona teammates, Riqui Puig, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ousmane Dembele, Miralem Pjanic, Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo prefer not to talk to the 32-year-old club captain and have blacklisted him. Interestingly, Pjanic, who made a switch from Juventus only last summer, had in a recent interview claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was accessible than Messi.

Also Read | Pele congratulates Messi on equaling single-club goal record, Barcelona captain responds

Messi speaks on previous summer saga 

Despite the six players not speaking with the club’s leading goalscorer, he still enjoys the backing of senior players, including the likes of Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique. And Messi seems to have had enough of the struggle with the club, which was visible in a recent interview.

Speaking to La Sexta in a recent interview, Messi claimed he has had a really bad time, insisting the struggle has been building up ever since. "What happened before the summer, what with how the season ended, the burofax and all the rest of it. I ended up carrying that over a bit into the start of this season.

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo wins Golden Foot, arch-rival Lionel Messi yet to clinch award

Valladolid vs Barcelona: Catalan giants stay put fifth in LaLiga standings 

Messi sees off his Barcelona contract at the end of the current season with no extension talks in hindsight. Despite the struggle, he came up in top clutch form against Valladolid, netting the third goal of the night. Besides, Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite also netted once each. The victory sees the Catalan giants stay put at the fifth spot in the LaLiga standings with 24 points in 14 games. 

Also Read | Lionel Messi 'fine' at Barcelona after a 'very bad' summer, opens up on club's situation

Image courtesy: Barcelona Twitter