JORDI ALBA HAS revealed that Lionel Messi took risks to help Barcelona secure the Liga title despite his recent hamstring injury.
The Argentina international picked up the injury during the club’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final with Paris Saint-Germain but got frustrated that he had not recovered fully to help his team and played through the pain barrier.
It was evident during their run-in that Messi was not fully fit but Alba admitted he took too many risks in his attempt to return from injury.
“He is the best player in the world,” he said. “It is normal that he got annoyed about his injury, but he took risks to be with the team.
“When he did not play it was because he could not. I do not know about ‘Messidependencia’ (Messi-dependent) but he helps a lot.
“On many occasions we depend on him, but we also have other players who are very good.”
Alba joined Barcelona at the start of the season following a successful campaign with Valencia and impressive performances at Euro 2012, and the full-back is happy with his first season at the club, which has yielded league honours.
“To sign for Barcelona is maybe the best thing that could have happened to me,” he continued. “We went through difficult moments, but at the end we were able to lift the club to a trophy as important as La Liga.”
Barcelona are expected to bring in reinforcements for next season having struggled at times in the Champions League with injuries to key players.
One player who has been linked with the club is Neymar, and Alba admitted he is a big admirer of the 21-year-old but did not know whether he would be playing at Camp Nou next season.
“I do not know if (Neymar) will come or not,” he added. “He is a great player. In Brazil he is showing he is a different type of footballer.
“But you would have to ask the board. The coaches and directors will reinforce the team where they believe it is needed. The team looks good to me, with a future and a present.”
