Lionel Messi sparks Barcelona exit, refuses to comment on future

Lionel Messi sparks Barcelona
exit, refuses to comment on future
- Lionel Messi has won the European
Golden boots award
- He scored 37 league goals for Barcelona
last season
- The Argentine captain however caused a
stir when he refused to comment on his
future
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has
sparked uncertainty over his future as
he bluntly refused to attend to questions
concerning his contract renewal while
collecting the European Golden shoe
award on Friday, November 24.
The Barca playmaker, who joined
Cristiano Ronaldo in winning the award
for the fourth time scored 37 league
goals last season.
Lionel Messi sparks Barcelona exit, refuses to
comment on future
Messi, 30, has not yet signed the new
deal the club say he has agreed,
meaning he will be free to join another
team next season.
Sturridge
The Spanish giants insist that his father,
Jorge Messi, has signed three contracts
which tie him to the club until 2021, but
the situation is unclear because the
player has not put pen to paper on any
of them himself.
Messi scored 37 league goals for Barcelona last
season
Messi, 30, did not walk in to the Antigua
Estrella Damm Fabrica, where the event
was held, on the red carpet, instead
accessing the venue via a back door
route to avoid the masses of journalists
and photographers waiting for him at
the front.
Barcelona players Luis Suarez, Andres
Iniesta and Sergio Busquets also
attended the event but declined to
speak, while Messi answered soft
questions from the event host about the
development of his game.
Messi conducted an interview with
Spanish newspaper Marca, who
sponsored the award but still refused to
speak about his contract situation.
Marca director, Juan Ignacio Gallardo,
who introduced the ceremony with a
speech, even highlighted that Messi
would not be speaking about his
contract.
He said: “I know that everyone is
thinking about the renovation of your
contract with Barcelona, but today we
are here to pay homage to you and
nothing can take the focus away from
our precious gala,” said Gallardo.
“There will be time to talk about
contract renewals later. Today we are
speaking about the Golden Boot,
delivered by ESM (European Sports
Media) and Marca.”
Lionel Messi equals Ronaldo golden boot record
of 4 with this award
Messi was presented the Golden Shoe by
team-mate Suarez, who won it the
season before.
“I’ve been improving, adding more facets
to my play, each day I enjoy being a
player more and more,” said Messi.
The Argentine captain added: “Every
time time I sit on the bench (as he did
against Juventus in the Champions
League on Wednesday) it’s a shock
because I don’t usually do it.
“I don’t like being out, I like
participating, helping from on the pitch,
but I also understand the year is long
and each day you have to take care of
yourself because the seasons get harder
and harder.”
The question which has not been fully
answered yet, and which was not
allowed to be asked at this event, is
where Messi will be playing next
season.