Instead of putting the matter in the hands of his father during his attempt to leave Barcelona, Lionel Messi should have pursued professional advice, former Argentine teammate Hernán Crespo said.
After initially telling Barça that he wanted to depart in 2019-20 after a trophyless campaign and amid discontent with the board of the Camp Nou, Messi made a U-turn and decided to remain with the LaLiga giants who were embattled.
Messi’s deal expires next year, with Barça actively hanging on to their charismatic captain while they prepare to rebuild the squad under new head coach Ronald Koeman, who last month succeeded Quique Setién.
But Crespo claims the crisis should have been prevented, telling TyC Sports: “Here again, with this whole scenario, the problem is that … with all due respect to Jorge Messi, it seems to me that you need a specialist by your side in these circumstances.
Talking to an agent isn’t the same thing, that is, someone competent, like your dad … The agent would not take the family issue into account, and so forth. In these situations, you need to be a specialist.’
