Lionel Messi has moved to refute claims Barcelona are too dependent on him by stating they are the best all-round team in the world.
The 29-year-old was absent for the Blaugrana’s scoreless draw with Malaga last weekend and also missed their defeats against Alaves and Celta Vigo earlier in the campaign, but he dismissed claims this is an important factor.
"I don't consider talk of Barca being Messi-dependent to be praise or a concern because it's not the case," Messi said at an event in Barcelona on Thursday.
"I'm in the best team in the world; we don't depend on one player.”
The Argentine superstar then looked ahead to his side’s weekend clash against Real Sociedad, as he warned against complacency.
"Anoeta is a complicated stadium where we haven't won in years – La Real always make things tough for us there and it's going to be a hard game,” he explained.
"In football these days it's important to be organised. To have a team that is well-organised is the most important thing. To have a good team everything starts there."
