SUMMARY
- Former Manchester City star has questioned Lionel Messi's GOAT status.
- Recently, the 41-year-old called out FC Barcelona legend's alleged steroid issues.
Former Manchester City star Joey Barton has made a stunning claim about soccer superstar Lionel Messi. It’s not news that Messi continues to dominate the headlines because of his on-the-pitch contributions and his superstar presence. However, Barton’s baffling claims about the Argentine ace are bound to leave Messi stunned.
Joey Barton recently raised questions regarding Lionel Messi’s growth hormone therapy during an appearance on his Common Sense Podcast. Barton said, “There’s a big asterisk on Messi’s name for me, because he got on the steroids and all that at a young age to mess with his growth.” Barton further added that Messi will never be able to get rid of the “asterisk” since he was genetically modified due to his growth therapy.
🎙️ Joey Barton: “There’s a big asterisk on Messi’s name for me, because he got on the steroids and all that at a young age to mess with his growth.
Messi’s been genetically modified at a young age, so there has to be an asterisk next to his name.” pic.twitter.com/nf8602zmfC
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 8, 2024
To give readers further context, Lionel Messi suffered from growth hormone deficiency (GHD) during his childhood. GHD is a genetic condition that is characterized by the deficiency of the growth hormone in an individual which leads to impaired growth and other developments. Because of this deficiency, Messi’s physical stature even to this day continues to be diminutive in nature.
The Inter Miami star required growth hormone injections to facilitate his growth, which played a huge role in helping him become a professional soccer player. Coming back to Barton’s claims, the steroids taken by Lionel Messi are completely legal in nature. Additionally, throughout his career, Messi has never been in trouble with anti-doping agencies despite undergoing several regulatory doping tests.
Lionel Messi won a lawsuit against a Spanish publication that mocked his hormone deficiency
While Lionel Messi is yet to respond to Joey Barton’s comments, the ex-Manchester City star should tread carefully with his accusatory statements. Back in 2014, the Spanish news outlet La Razón published a rather defamatory article titled ‘Sonatina’ which was written by Alfonso Ussía where he mocked Lionel Messi’s growth hormone disorder.
In 2017 Lionel Messi fulfilled a promise made last year to Doctors Without Borders and donated over €70,000 to the charity after winning a libel case against newspaper La Razon, the player’s management company has confirmed. pic.twitter.com/1ZMmWiJVPF
— HXN (@Hxnkhany) November 12, 2023
In the piece, Alfonso Ussía used the Spanish term “nandrolone“, which means, “substance that can improve someone’s physical strength and stamina“, to describe Messi. The former FC Barcelona star filed a defamation lawsuit against the Spanish publication and ended up winning the lawsuit. The Spanish Tribunal ruled in Messi’s favor three years later and slapped a fine against La Razón.
The court ruled that the article not only insulted the Argentine star but also implied that he was still using the substance. In the end, Messi ended up receiving $70535.51 from the Spanish publication. The World Cup winner, in turn, decided to donate the entire sum to the organization, Doctors Without Borders, as part of his several philanthropic works.
Lionel Messi’s hormone treatment forced him to join FC Barcelona
While Lionel Messi’s hormone disorder was once one of the biggest obstacles to his path to success, it also had a silver lining. When Messi was initially diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, his father was unable to pay for the treatment which was almost $1000 per month. The Messi family did try convincing some of the prominent Argentine clubs to sign the future soccer star but failed to do so.
Messi even reportedly went for a trial at River Plate, but the club authorities remained unconvinced on whether to sign him. Eventually, the family was forced to turn to FC Barcelona who agreed to sign the then 13-year-old Messi. Not only did FC Barcelona pay for his treatment but also found a job for his father and arranged their accommodation.
The rest, as they say, is history! Messi duly repaid FC Barcelona’s invaluable help back then by winning them multiple trophies, including ten league titles and four Champions League trophies. He also ended up being the all-time leading goal scorer, assist provider, and the player with the highest appearances for the club besides breaking a plethora of records which was previously considered to be untouchable.