Lionel Messi did not want current Barcelona player in the starting XI - Reports
It has become quite evident in recent months that Lionel Messi did not have a great time in his final season at Barcelona. There were issues with his contract which could have been dealt with in a better manner despite the financial crisis. The Argentine was also not very convinced with the vision of the club and a few of the squad members.
On various occasions, Spanish media have come up with revelations about the problems Messi had with some individuals in the Barcelona dressing room. A recent report by El Nacional revealed another name that the PSG superstar was not fond of when he was in his final season at Camp Nou.
The outlet suggests that Barcelona academy graduate Oscar Mingueza was not liked by the club's former talisman. The centre-back, who has been deployed at right-back on various occasions, rose to prominence under former head coach Ronald Koeman.
Mingueza made 27 appearances for the Catalans last season in La Liga, scoring two goals and providing two assists. El Nacional also suggested in its report that Messi made an early assessment of the 22-year old in training and was of the opinion that Mingueza was not suitable for Barcelona's standards.
Btw its very rare from me but let me single out one mf name - Oscar Mingueza.
We aren’t a serious club if we let that abomination of a player play out of position RB and not just doing jackshit but burning it all down for us.
The La Masia graduate was initially starting games this season, but since Xavi Hernandez's appointment as the manager, Mingueza has been mostly involved as a substitute. The boss was forced to play him at right-back in the Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt because Dani Alves wasn't registered for the tournament.
However, the Barcelona defender's fragility and weaknesses were exploited in the clash against the German side. Mingueza felt out of his depth and was eventually substituted at the hour-mark. The Spanish giants could try to get rid of the 22-year old in the summer.
Former Barcelona star Lionel Messi is showing signs of his old form at PSG
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was having an average season at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with little influence in deciding games. However, in the second half of this campaign, especially since the turn of the year, Messi has found his feet and delivered some scintillating performances in Ligue 1.
Lionel Messi will be wearing GOAT on his sleeve after PSG announced a partnership with the next generation lifestyle platform 🐐 https://t.co/yCtniQaOwW
In his last nine games in the French top-flight, the former Barcelona No.10 has contributed eight assists along with two goals. This has taken the 34-year old's tally to eight goals and 13 assists for the season, of which five goals were scored in the Champions League in 2021.
Messi needs seven assists in PSG's remaining six games in Ligue 1 to break the record for most assists in a single French top-flight season. With Kylian Mbappe in great form and Neymar also finding his feet, this milestone is truly within touching distance for the Argentine.