BARCELONA • Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has admitted he has found it tough to play without fans since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, likening the experience to a training session.
“It’s horrible to play without fans, it’s a very ugly sensation,” the Argentina forward told Spanish newspaper Marca on Monday after receiving the Pichichi award for the top scorer in La Liga last season with 25 goals. “Seeing no one in the stadium is like a training session and it is very tough to really get going at the start of a game.”
The new normal of football in empty stadiums has certainly taken its toll on Messi and Barca.
The Catalans were top of La Liga with 11 games to go when last season was disrupted by the pandemic and they surrendered the title to Real Madrid when play resumed behind closed doors.
They then suffered a record 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League in an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in August.
This season, they have made their worst start in 33 years and were fifth in La Liga before yesterday’s games, way off the pace of leaders Atletico Madrid, while they failed to finish top of their Champions League group for the first time since 2006.
The 33-year-old Messi, meanwhile, is having his worst individual season since the 2007-08 campaign, scoring only nine goals in all competitions, five of which have been penalties.
“The truth is it’s very ugly and that’s why we are seeing such evenly matched games. It’s very difficult to win, regardless of who you are playing against,” he added.
“The pandemic has caused football to change a lot, and for the worse. You can see it in the matches, and I hope this ends soon and we can get fans back into the stadiums and return to normality.”
Supporters have been absent from top-flight games since March but are set to return from April once a large section of Spain’s population has been vaccinated.
According to local media, the first game with fans will be last season’s postponed King’s Cup final between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, due to take place on April 4.
But the lack of an adoring Nou Camp crowd is not the only thing that is weighing Messi down.
Admitting his failed attempt to leave the club in August had left an ill feeling that he is only beginning to shake off, he told Spanish TV channel LaSexta: “Everything that happened before the summer, how the season ended, then the burofax… I dragged everything into the start of the season a bit.
“The truth is right now, I’m feeling fine but in the summer, I had a very bad time. I know the club is in a difficult moment and everything surrounding Barca right now is difficult, but I’m feeling excited.”
He has less than seven months left on his deal and will be able to negotiate with other clubs from next month.
REUTERS