Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal criticises club for only having ‘13 professional players’ amid Lionel Messi exit saga
Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal has spoken out against his own club in the midst of the saga surrounding Lionel Messi’s desire to leave the La Liga outfit, claiming the side only have “13 professional players”.
Barca’s season ended in an 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, a result that was followed by the sacking of head coach Quique Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal – a former player for the Catalan club.
New manager Ronald Koeman, himself a former Barca player, then reportedly told Luis Suarez that the striker is surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp, while Messi told the club he wishes to leave.
With criticism coming from all corners, Barcelona are not even safe from the judgement of their own players.
Midfielder Vidal told Daniel Habif’s YouTube channel: “Barcelona have to change their way of thinking.
“Football has moved on a lot and the [whole] DNA [thing] is being left behind, because other teams are improving in other aspects.
“Football at the moment is more physical, more dependent on power and speed and the technical side is sometimes less important.
“The last three years are not what a team like Barcelona deserves. The best team in the world cannot have 13 professional players. You cannot always win with DNA.”
The Chile international also expressed sympathy for Messi, saying: “[He] is the best in the world, an extraterrestrial, but he needs help so that better results can be achieved.”
Messi, 33, seems keen to depart Barca for free due to a specific clause in his contract, but La Liga last week said that his €700million release clause is still valid.
On Sunday, the Argentine forward failed to report for a pre-season medical at Barcelona.