Messi prefers Real Madrid to win UCL over Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus? Report suggests

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has reportedly given up on the Catalonian club this season with his focus only on himself and winning individual awards, rather than caring about the team. Amid the toxic situation at Barcelona, Lionel Messi has also been stalling on a contract extension at the Camp Nou. Spanish newspaper Diario GOL made a shocking claim, stating that Lionel Messi prefers rivals Real Madrid to win their 14th Champions League trophy rather than seeing Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo win his sixth UCL title which could, in turn, earn the Portuguese his sixth Ballon d'Or.

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Lionel Messi transfer news: Chaos at Barcelona

The report branded Lionel Messi 'selfish' and further stated that the Argentina forward is finding it tough to serve the club after nearly 20 years. The main reasons behind Lionel Messi's reported fallout with Barcelona are because of club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Director of Football, Eric Abidal. The 33-year-old is also believed to have stalled in extending his contract with the club amidst current tensions with manager Quique Setien. Messi's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer of 2021.

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Barcelona have been involved in far too many controversies over the past few months that have hampered the club's reputation. From the reported hiring of hackers to defame the current squad and former players to money laundering and unjustifiable signings and departures, Lionel Messi has reached a boiling point with the board. The Argentine has candidly spoken about the club's current squad lacking the quality to compete in the Champions League while also publicly thrashing the board. 

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Lionel Messi transfer news: Messi hopes for Real Madrid to win UCL over Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus

This season, Barcelona were knocked out from the Copa del Rey as well as the Spanish Super Cup and have realistically lost the LaLiga title to Real Madrid. Real Madrid are currently one point ahead of Barcelona in the LaLiga standings with a game in hand and the Los Blancos have won all their eight league games ever since the restart. However, Lionel Messi is reportedly no longer interested in achieving success with Blaugrana and is solely focused on individual awards as per reports.

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The only hope for Barcelona to win a trophy seems to be the Champions League but it appears to be a tough task given the Spanish club's mediocre displays since football resumed last month. If Barcelona are unable to attain silverware this season, Lionel Messi is reportedly hoping for Real Madrid to overturn their 2-1 deficit against Man City and win the Champions League rather than seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus win the European Cup. Messi's reported 'selfish' nature could also see an exit from the club that has been sinking over the past few seasons.

Image Credits - AP