Messi went three months without speaking to ex-PSG teammate due to his anti-Barcelona comments | OneFootball

It has been a few years since Lionel Messi’s emotional departure from FC Barcelona, but his deep respect and love for the club remain unquestionable.

Even during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi did not tolerate any comments that disrespected the Blaugrana, as revealed by his former teammate Leandro Paredes.

Messi didn’t speak to Paredes for three months

In fact, Paredes has even revealed that there was a time when Messi didn’t even speak to him at PSG for three months for his anti-Barça comments.

The incident happened in February, 2021, when PSG faced Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Round of 16. The Parisians claimed a stunning 4-1 victory, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick.

In the heat of the moment, Paredes made a comment to motivate his teammates, but Messi, who could hear everything in the empty stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions, took offense.

“We didn’t talk to each other for about three months. I had a really bad time,” Paredes told Infobae (h/t SPORT).

Messi spent three months not speaking to Paredes (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)

“I sent him a message the next day, then another one 15 days later. I told him: ‘It wasn’t for you, it wasn’t meant to offend.’ But he didn’t respond. He didn’t answer for three months,” he added.

The silence lasted until June 2021, when Argentina reunited for World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America. Paredes, nervous about how Messi would receive him, finally got his answer when the captain approached him.

“It had been three months without us talking, and I thought: ‘Now I have to see how he reacts.’ But no, a phenomenon, a phenomenon,” Paredes said, recalling how Messi even broke the ice.

“We arrived at the training camp on the same day, I arrived a little early and he appeared in my room. I was brushing my teeth, it was very early, and he threw water on me and said: ‘What are you doing up so early?,” he concluded.