Reports suggest Lionel Messi wants Barca to drop star and blames ace for poor start to the season

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There will always be some sort of debate over Messi vs Ronaldo for a variety of reasons. There always seemed to be a narrative that Messi was the likable street kid and Ronaldo was selfish and unpopular. Stories like this make you wonder if that’s truly accurate.

By their own standards Barcelona haven’t had a great start to the season. They’ve struggled with injuries and poor form which has seen Real Madrid top the table despite their own issues. It seems like Messi pointing the finger at one man.

According to a story by Everythingbarca.com, reports in Spain suggest Messi is deeply unhappy with Antoine Griezmann and doesn’t think he’s performing well enough to warrant keeping his spot in the team. He wants him benched and Ousmane Dembele to get more chances.

READ MORE: Reports suggest Cristiano Ronaldo phoned Barcelona ace in attempt to set up Juventus transfer

That could be tricky in the short term with Dembele facing a ban after being sent off against Sevilla. It seems that Ansu Fati is injured so there won’t be any real alternatives to Griezmann for the next couple of games.

Griezmann always looked to be at his best in a central role for Atletico, so it’s not a major shock to see him struggling by having to adapt to a wider role. A similar issue happened when David Villa signed for Barca and was forced to play wide left.

It sounds like Messi has written Griezmann off already

The former Atletico man only had three goals in his first nine games so clearly more was expected from him. He does deserve more time to adapt and prove himself, but if Messi does have the power to dictate team selection then he might find himself on the bench once Dembele returns from his suspenson.

More Stories Antoine Griezmann Lionel Messi Ousmane Dembele