Lionel Messi's relationship with Barcelona did not end on the best possible terms, but no one knew the extent of that until a number of leaked messages were made public in Spain.
The Argentine, who left Los Culés in 2021, is characterized by one of Josep María Bartomeu's board members as "a tyrant", meaning that he only did what he wanted to do and forced the club to follow suit or to stick to the consequences. More than that, the exec in question slammed Messi with adjectives such as "sewer rat".
The head of the team's legal department, Román Gómez Ponti, blasted Messi for his negotiation tactics and for forcing the team to do whatever he wanted. Gómez Ponti stated that Messi's hand was involved in naming coaches, lineups, and even sponsorship contracts for the club and himself. The legal advisor did not understand how Bartomeu allowed Messi to display such behavior and questioned his decision to allow it.
"Barto, really, you can't be such a good person with this sewer rat. The club has given him everything and he has dedicated himself to marking a dictatorship of signings, transfers, renewals, sponsorships just for him," Gómez Ponti stated in the chat where other members of the board were included.
Gómez Ponti did not stop there and went on with his outburst by saying Messi was behind the decision to cut everyone's wages during the pandemic, except for his own and for Luis Suárez, Messi's closest friend in the dugout. The advisor went as far as to call Messi an "hormonal dwarf" because of the treatment he underwent to grow during his early years at Can Barça.
"Above all the accumulation of blackmail and rudeness that the club and those of us who work [for it] have suffered from this hormonal dwarf who owes Barca his life... ah! But when things go wrong, you receive the mythical WhatsApp message: 'President, lower the salaries of others, but don't touch Luis (Suarez) and me," the message states.
Bartomeu defended his negotiation tactics when it came to Messi and even justified paying for his mammoth wages, which apparently represented a big chunk of Barcelona's budget year after year.
"Many times we have listened to Leo, not always, but many times, and this contract without a pandemic was totally acceptable. He represents 15% of the club's entire budget, but it's OK if you consider everything he gives back to us,"the message by the former president states.
Other players mentioned in the rant by the former Barça execs include none other than Gerard Piqué, who was labeled as a "son of a bi**h", and Sergio Busquets, mainly for their refusal to have their wages reduced to help the team's ailing finances, something that still goes on today.
With these messages and with the player's estranged relationship with Joan Laporta, it is pretty safe to say that Messi's return to the club is a far-fetched idea, especially if you consider the team's financial situation and Messi's habit of evading that idea.
