Messi dismisses Cappa claims

The former Blaugrana assistant coach argued
the forward had "lost his passion for football"
but the Argentina international insists the
comments were without foundation.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has hit back at
Angel Cappa's claims that he has fallen out of
love with the game.
The 67-year-old Argentine, who worked under
former Blaugrana boss Cesar Luis Menotti at
Camp Nou in the 1980s, suggested earlier this
month that his compatriot had "lost his
passion for football" after becoming bored of
his "15-year marriage" to the sport.
However, Messi, who only recently recovered
from a hamstring injury, insists he remains
"dedicated" to playing.
"I don't give any importance to Cappa's
comments. I don't know why he said that. I'm
thinking about getting back to my level," the
four-time Ballon d'Or winner told Radio La
Red. "I'm dedicated to playing. When I wasn't
scoring, I was happy with my performance. I
know what I give to, and how I feel about,
football.
"I took the injury calmly. It took a long time
to be ready, but now I'm not rushing things.
As matches go by, I'm feeling better. It's how
we planned."
Messi went on to praise coach Gerardo
Martino for the way he has grown
accustomed to life at the helm of the
Blaugrana.
"He's gradually learning the club, the media,
the fans, everything. Beyond what he knows
as a coach, Tata is a very intelligent person,
and he knows how to handle all this," he said.
It had been suggested Martino could
experiment with the Barca set up by
deploying Messi in a deeper or wider role in
attack, but the 26-year-old himself says his
position remains more or less the same as it
has been since former boss Pep Guardiola
first moved him to the center of the forward
line.
"I heard in various places it had been said I
would be playing further behind or in a
different position," Messi stated. "We keep
playing without a No.9, we still use a 'false
nine' as we used in Guardiola's era. The
position remains the same."