LIONEL MESSI TOLD Alvaro Gonzalez he was “bad” after the Espanyol defender let him know that he was too short.
Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.
The return leg was a much tamer affair compared to the first installment between the two rivals, when Espanyol had two men sent off in a 4-1 loss.
However, after Gonzalez had fouled Messi in the second leg, the two were involved in some on-field banter.
“Leo was criticising me for some things, and I some others,” he told reporters. “I asked him if he thinks I will hurt him, and he said yes.
He told me that I was bad, and I told him he was short. But both accepted it, laughed, and left it at that.
“There’s no need to make a big deal, what happens on the pitch stays there, and that’s it.
“The best thing about these derbies is the healthy rivalry we have.”
Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
600px wide <iframe width="600" height="460" frameborder="0" style="border:0px;" src="https://www.the42.ie/https://www.the42.ie/messi-short-bad-gonzalez-2548611-Jan2016/?embedpost=2548611&width=600&height=460" ></iframe>
400px wide <iframe width="600" height="460" frameborder="0" style="border:0px;" src="https://www.the42.ie/https://www.the42.ie/messi-short-bad-gonzalez-2548611-Jan2016/?embedpost=2548611&width=400&height=460" ></iframe>
300px wide <iframe width="600" height="460" frameborder="0" style="border:0px;" src="https://www.the42.ie/https://www.the42.ie/messi-short-bad-gonzalez-2548611-Jan2016/?embedpost=2548611&width=300&height=460" ></iframe>
Create an email alert based on the current article
'I told Messi he was short, he told me I was bad'
LIONEL MESSI TOLD Alvaro Gonzalez he was “bad” after the Espanyol defender let him know that he was too short.
Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.
The return leg was a much tamer affair compared to the first installment between the two rivals, when Espanyol had two men sent off in a 4-1 loss.
However, after Gonzalez had fouled Messi in the second leg, the two were involved in some on-field banter.
“Leo was criticising me for some things, and I some others,” he told reporters. “I asked him if he thinks I will hurt him, and he said yes.
“There’s no need to make a big deal, what happens on the pitch stays there, and that’s it.
“The best thing about these derbies is the healthy rivalry we have.”
Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win.
Espanyol fans in plot to throw pig’s head at Pique>
Pep Guardiola is not the only coach on Europe’s top clubs’ radar next summer>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Álvaro González Soberón Copa del Rey Espanyol Football Lionel Messi Sledging Barcelona