In the Adidas event on Thursday, Lionel Messi addressed accusations of Barcelona's dependence on him and refuted the concern, as per Marca. The Adidas Red Limit 16 event was held for the Argentinian star to present his new Messi 16.1 boots, which will be available for purchase on early December. During the event, Messi touched on several topics regarding the team.
Lionel Messi was asked about the Messidependencia phenomenon of the team. The Adidas endorser downplayed the concern and went on to say that "Barcelona is the best team in the world and they do not depend on one player. We are a squad, an impressive group, and I have never thought we depend on one player," as per Sports English.
The accusations are nothing new, but after Barcelona won their game against Celtic in a 2 - 0 match last Wednesday, there's more talk about it than usual. When Barcelona went against Malagos without Lionel Messi in the line-up, Barca had a goalless draw in a 0 - 0 match. With Messi's help, Barcelona progressed in the last 16 of the Champions League group winners, as per Associated Press.
Instead, the Barcelona forward emphasized that organization is key to a team's success and goes on to say that, "In football these days it's important to be organized. To have a team that is well-organized is the most important thing. To have a good team everything starts there," per Associated Press. Lionel Messi also touched on the next La Liga match against Real Sociedad and acknowledged that the match will require a lot from the Catalans.
But the Argentinian star left one topic unaddressed in the event. Lionel Messi did not talk about his pending contract renewal in 2018 with Barcelona, as per Marca.