Lionel Messi news: 'When Barcelona win it's because of Messi, but when they lose it's Valverde, Coutinho... That's unfair,' says Ronaldo
What's the story?
Former Barcelona striker Ronaldo Nazario has called for equitable sharing of blame whenever the Catalan giants lose an important fixture, as currently, he believes that too much blame is put on the likes of Ernesto Valverde and Philippe Coutinho, while almost everyone fails to mention Lionel Messi in such scenario.
He said that when Blaugrana achieve a triumphant victory everyone starts singing Messi's praises, which is very insulting to the hard work of his teammates and staff.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo played for Barcelona and their fiercest rivals Real Madrid in his remarkable career, winning the Copa del Rey with the former and the LaLiga crown with the latter.
But, success at the UEFA Champions League always eluded him and till date, he remains one of the greatest players to have never lifted the coveted trophy.
Barca were shown the exit door in the knock-out stages of the competition for a second year running by Liverpool, having similarly thrown away a comfortable lead from the first leg in their quarter-finals fixture last season against Roma.
The heart of the matter...
It is true that the 31-year-old left-footed wizard of a footballer has been incredible this season, scoring 48 goals across all competitions this season.
So, it is understandable why his performances are always lauded when the club wins. But Ronaldo said after their 4-0 thrashing at Anfield, that, Messi is usually left unscathed from criticism whenever they lose, while coach Valverde and midfielder like Coutinho are left to brunt most of the slamming.
Though he claimed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the best player in the world, such treatment is tantamount to severe injustice to other players and staff. He said at an event for Santander Bank: (Via Marca)
"Barcelona have a great team, and they have the best player in the world in Messi."
"The other day I heard that when they lose, it's because of Valverde, Coutinho... but not Messi."
"And when they win, Barcelona win because of Messi."
"It's a tremendous lack of respect to all the players and the coaching staff."
What's next?
Messi leads the race for the European Golden shoe with 34 goals. Barcelona will face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final on 25 May.