Former Barcelona star Hristo Stoichkov has accused Barcelona chief Joan Laporta of lying amid the Lionel Messi saga.
Messi is now officially a PSG player having been allowed to leave Barcelona at the end of his contract in July.
The Argentine superstar had agreed a deal to return to Barca more than three weeks ago, but he was told last week that the Catalan giants were now willing to do a deal because it would mean ‘mortgaging’ their TV rights as part of La Liga’s CVC deal.
Barcelona, and specifically president Laporta, have been criticised for their decision, and former forward Stoichkov, who made more than 200 appearances for the club across two spells, winning five La Liga titles, a European Cup and a Ballon D’Or, has joined in with that criticism.
And while he did not specifically name Laporta, it was pretty clear who he was talking about.
Stoichkov said of Messi in an interview with TUDN via Diario AS: “I see him now, with this image, with another shirt, it’s different.
“I find it strange that people promised, that people played on his heart…’I am going to make it possible, ‘ I want to’, ‘I do’.
“But in the end the lie has become very big ”
He added: “It’s very strange, this image. It’s difficult, but life is like this. Wherever he goes, I will always respect him for all that he has done for Barcelona, all that he has done for the people, for my children. I have been very fortunate to have it. It’s difficult.”