REVEALED: Former Barcelona boss Quique Setien ‘told Lionel Messi: ‘If you don’t like my criticism, you know where the door is” as more details of spectacular fall-out before his sacking emerge
- Details of a huge row with between Quique Setien and Leo Messi have emerged
- The pair endured a tense relationship as Barcelona’s season unraveled this year
- After the draw with Celta Vigo, Setien told Messi ‘you know where the door is’
- Setien has since been dismissed and replaced by Barca icon Ronald Koeman
Former Barcelona boss Quique Setien and captain Lionel Messi endured an explosive clash as details of a heated exchange between the pair emerge.
Setien was dismissed from his post as Barcelona manager over the summer, after the coach oversaw the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The 61-year-old also saw Barcelona’s advantage at the top of LaLiga slip, allowing arch rivals Real Madrid to win the league title last season.
Details of a big row between Lionel Messi and former Barca boss Quique Setien have emerged
The 61-year-old lost his job after losing the LaLiga title to Real Madrid and losing 8-2 to Bayern
Barcelona’s season unravelled rapidly, with Messi visibly frustrated with Setien’s tactics as tensions grew between the Argentine superstar and the club’s board.
And new details have emerged of an explosive clash between the experienced coach and the 33-year-old after Barca dropped points to Celta Vigo in June.
The Catalan giants drew 2-2 with Celticos, thereby putting Zinedine Zidane’s side in the driving seat to win the title for the first time since 2017.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Messi questioned the tactics of Setien following the disappointing result, urging the coach to have respect for the players in the dressing room who have won more than him.
And Setien reportedly told Messi ‘you know where the door is’ during an explosive argument
The row occurred following Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo in June (pictured)
‘If you don’t like what I said, you know where the door is,’ Setien responded, to which Messi reportedly laughed compassionately.
Messi sought to leave Barcelona this summer, with the Argentine expressing his desire to trigger a clause that would allow him to walk away for free, ending a near two-decade spell at the club.
The move came about as a result of frustrations with the club’s hierarchy, particularly club president Josep Bartomeu, who proved an unpopular figure within the dressing room.
The 33-year-old attempted to leave Barcelona this summer but was denied his exit
Messi endured a torrid relationship with former president Josep Bartomeu, who has resigned
Bartomeu insisted that the clause could not be triggered, and that any club that wished to purchase the star would need to meet his £600m buyout clause, amid interest from Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Messi waved the white flag in his bid to leave the club, stressing that he did not want to take the club to court over the legitimacy of the clause. His contract is believed to expire next summer.
Ronald Koeman has since taken over as manager of the side, having endured a mixed start to the campaign, typified by the draw with Alaves on the weekend.
Meanwhile, Bartomeu and the Barcelona board have resigned from their posts amid a vote of no confidence from the club’s members.
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