France legend Christophe Dugarry has shockingly branded Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi “half autistic” in a rant about Antoine Griezmann.
The pundit was discussing the alleged rift between the pair as Griezmann struggled to make a name for himself in a difficult first season at the Nou Camp.
Much has been made of Messi preventing players he doesn’t like from shining at Barcelona, and Dugarry has mocked the Argentine by telling Griezmann he has nothing to be afraid of with him.
“What is [Griezmann] afraid of? A kid who is 1.5 metres tall and half autistic?” Dugarry told RMC Sport.
“All he has to do is show some balls at some point. I’ve been saying for a year that he has a problem with Messi. He has to hit him in the face.
“It’s true that Messi could give him more passes, but honestly, I am not surprised.
“Griezmann loses balls, doesn’t play with confidence. Griezmann should go and talk to Messi to solve the problem.”
Dugarry later apologised for his comments on social media.
After a furious backlash, he said: “I’m sincerely sorry for the breadth and depth of my remarks about Lionel Messi.
“I didn’t want to stigmatise people with autism disorders, that was not my intention.
“I apologise to the people I shocked and will do it again [apologise] on Team Duga [TV show] this evening.”