Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 10:15 PM• Jeroen van Poppel • Last update: 22:20

Lionel Messi sent Josep Maria Bartomeu a furious last text message on August 15 last year, according to reports from Catalunya Ràdio. The relationship between the Barcelona star and Bartomeu, who would step down as president of the club two months later, had been severely damaged at the time. “You’re leaking again. You’re screwing me again, traitor,” Messi sent to the ex-president of Barça in the summer of last year.

For years before that, Messi had had an extremely difficult relationship with the then president of Barça. Bartomeu always insisted that he had a good relationship with the star player, but spoke mainly with his father Jorge Messi when problems arose. In 2019, Messi’s confidence in Bartomeu hit, according to Catalunya Ràdio already permanently damaged. The attacker invited the president to his home after the elimination in the Champions League against Liverpool.

Messi wanted to know from Bartomeu if it was true that Antoine Griezmann would be recruited. That would mean that Neymar’s return, which Messi was actually hoping for, would become impossible. Bartomeu denied that Griezmann was already inside, but three days later the official confirmation of the Frenchman’s arrival followed. Messi has since stopped trusting Bartomeu and labeled him internally as a ‘compulsive liar’.

Messi had one of his lows at Barcelona on August 14 last year, falling 2-8 in the quarter final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich. A day later, it was leaked that Ronald Koeman was close to being appointed as the new coach of Barcelona. Messi immediately thought that Bartomeu was behind the leak and sent the above furious message to the driver. It is unknown to this day whether this is actually the case.

Five days after Messi’s text message, he sent the burofax to Barcelona in which he announced that he wanted to leave the club on a free transfer. Bartomeu tried to contact the Argentinian in the weeks that followed, but could only reach him through his father. In the end, Bartomeu managed to keep Messi for Barcelona against his will, but he has never been able to restore somewhat his personal relationship with the star player. The president resigned from Barcelona in October after socios forced a referendum on his stay.