Barcelona legend Lionel Messi said he “didn’t know what went through the mind” of former team-mate and now director of football Eric Abidal who criticised the Argentine and his team-mates.

Messi, speaking to Mundo Deportivo, added that a row about the club hiring a social media firm to run a smear campaign against Messi and the players was “weird”.

He said he responded to Abidal’s comments because he “felt attacked”.

Despite the fall-out and grievances, Messi said that he wouldn’t be leaving the Nou Camp but his interview hinted at a still-uneasy relationship between the number 10 and the club’s hierarchy.