Lionel Messi’s family and FC Barcelona have been in a new row after brother Leo said no one had heard of the Catalan outfit before Messi’s performance at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona T-shirts with the name of Lionel MessiPhoto: Pau BARRENA / AFP / Profimedia

The statement by Mathias Messi, Lionel’s brother, quickly went viral and there was plenty of criticism.

“I don’t know what you think, but I say that Barcelona became famous because of Leo Messi. No one knew about them before,” – the words that Matias Messi used to remember the Catalan fans.

When asked by sport.es journalists on this topic, Messi’s relatives said that Matias’s opinion is individual and cannot be attributed to the rest of the family.

After seeing the scale of the scandal, Matias Messi later apologized on social networks, claiming that he was just joking with his son and his friends.

“I want to apologize for what I said. I was just joking with my brother and his friends. How could I think like that about a big club like Barcelona that has given so much to my family and Leo” – Mathias Messi.

In the summer of 2021, Lionel Messi tearfully announced his departure from FC Barcelona. The Argentinian wore the Catalan shirt for 17 years, making 776 appearances and winning 35 trophies.

List of trophies won by Lionel Messi with FC Barcelona.

4 Champions League

10 La Liga championship titles

7 cups of Spain

3 CM mace

3 European Super Cup

8 Spanish Super Cups.