France international, Antoine Griezmann has disclosed that his decision to reject an offer to join Barcelona in 2018 upset Lionel Messi.
The 29-year-old eventually moved to Barcelona the following year to link up with Messi whom he Griezmann admitted, had a lengthy conversation with him in the wake of his transfer.
The Argentine had spoken positively about Griezmann’s transfer from Atlectico Madrid in 2018, only for the deal to hit the rock.
“When I signed for the club I asked for forgiveness for delaying the move and saying I wouldn’t join Barcelona,” Griezmann told Jorge Valdano on the latest edition of Universo Valdano. “I told Lionel Messi that I would give everything on the pitch for the club.
Griezmann has not shown his best form at Barca, but his situation has not been helped by off-field distractions.
His former agent Eric Olhats and uncle Emmanuel Lopes have caused controversy by saying Griezmann has a feud with Messi.
The World Cup winner denied the reports and thus, insisted that there was no contact between him and the two men.
“He (Olhats) was very important in my life but I don’t have a relationship with him anymore,” Griezmann said. “I stopped having any relationship with him since the day I got married. I invited him to the wedding day, and he didn’t come. That’s why I stopped having a relationship with him.
“My uncle doesn’t know how football works. And in the end, the journalist ended up getting the statement out of him. I told Leo that I never speak to them, in fact, I don’t even have my uncle’s phone number.
Barcelona are struggling in La Liga, where they sit in 13th in the table – 12 points behind leaders Real Sociedad, albeit with two games in hand.
Earlier on, The Heritage Times had gathered that Lionel Messi was reportedly left out of Barcelona squad for tonight’s Champions League battle against Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev.
