Lionel Messi is having a fantastic season domestically and internationally. He won his most coveted trophy World Cup last year in December with Argentina. Very recently, however, his family has come under the microscope after Leo’s brother passed some very strong comments on Barcelona. Matias faced the rage of Barcelona fans immediately and went back on his words.
Leo Messi’s elder brother Matias Messi has faced consequences following his blunt comment over FC Barcelona. Lionel Messi spent 20 years of his life at the Catalan club and has won a stunning 35 trophies including multiple league titles and the Champions Leagues. He was forced to leave the club in 2021 after Barcelona faced multiple sanctions under financial fair play.
A couple of days ago Matais Messi made some comments on the Catalan club through his son’s Twitch account (@labajada10). He said “Barcelona began to be known because of Messi because before, no one knew it, they knew [Real] Madrid… That they would [re]pay him like that is not good,” indicating the club’s validation through his brother Leo’s incoming.
Messi’s brother spoke about Barcelona before Messi 😮 pic.twitter.com/aOPz8o4OrP
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 8, 2023
Messi’s contract will expire in the summer of 2023. There are talks about him returning to Barcelona as a free agent despite being rumored to have a verbal agreement with PSG over a contract extension. Matias talked about that, “I have a newspaper cutting from Sport stuck on the wall of my house with the headline ‘Messi should return to Barcelona’ and I put underneath ‘ha, ha, ha.’ We are not going to return to Barcelona,” to the context.
Matias went further and stamped an ‘ungrateful’ tag on Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Laporta once said that he doesn’t regret letting Messi go because the club comes first.
Lionel Messi’s brother apologized for his controversial comments
Matias’s comment spread like wildfire and he was under immediate scrutiny from angry club fans. Renowned media houses have made contact with Lionel Messi’s representatives regarding Leo’s stance on his brother’s comments. But they denied to talk anything on the matter and described Matias’s action as his ‘individual and personal opinion.’
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Yesterday however Matias himself came out and posted an apology on his Instagram account. His post said “I want to apologize for what I said on social media, I was just joking with my son and friends. How can I think like that about a club as great as Barcelona, which has given so much to my family and Leo. I want to say sorry to everyone, specifically to all Barcelona fans,” taking responsibility for his actions. He said that it was ‘just a joke’.
What does Messi’s brother do for a living?
Matias Messi has come under the spotlight due to his recent controversial comments. However, this is not the first time he has done something controversial. Matias is more than 5 years older than Leo Messi and has had a stained record in his past life.
The 40-year-old Matias has been arrested multiple times throughout the years for different charges. He has been accused of petty thefts, threatened to kill, physical abuse, and illegal possession of guns. In 2011, he made the headlines when he managed to escape a murder attempt on him. Matias had his last share of crime in 2018 when he was accused of assaulting a policeman.
Matias has had jail time and broke his nose and jaw in a speedboat accident in the same year. Since he has been clean, but managed to catch soccer fans’ attention through his controversial comments on Barcelona. Matias’s apology is likely to be the end of scrutiny on Leo Messi’s brother and family.