Dimitar Berbatov has jumped to the defence of his former Monaco team-mate Eric Abidal, for the way he has been betrayed in the fallout with Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The Argentine was quick to hit back at the sporting director, after he questioned the team’s application under former boss Ernesto Valverde.
In the view of the former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Berbatov, Barcelona should have done their best to keep a lid of things after Messi went public with his fury.
“I played with Eric Abidal at Monaco, he’s a nice guy and I was surprised when Lionel Messi criticised the Barcelona sporting director publicly this week,” Berbatov told Betfair.
“There will always be disagreements behind the scenes at a big club.
“But everyone, from the players to the boardroom, should remember they’re on the same team and never make their disagreements public.
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“Messi is so important to his team that you could say he is Barcelona,” he added.
“Players have a lot of power today but I hope Messi and Abidal resolve their differences so that the club can move forward quickly.”
In an interview with Spanish publication Sport, Abidal threw shade at the Barcelona squad for their part in the downfall of Valverde
“Many players weren’t satisfied or working hard and there was also an internal communication problem,” the former defender said.
“The relationship between the coach and the dressing room has always been good but there are things as an ex-player that I could smell.
“I told the club what I thought and we reached a decision [on Valverde].”
These were comments which upset Messi, who took to his Instagram account to hit back at his former team-mate.
He posted: “Sincerely, I don’t like to do these things but I think that people have to be responsible for their jobs and own their decisions.
“The players [are responsible] for what happens on the pitch and we are the first to admit when we haven’t been good.
“The heads of the sports department have to take their responsibilities too and above all own the decisions they make.”