Despite Bartomeu's attempt to distance himself from the leaking of Messi's contract to El Mundo journalist, everyone knows that he and Tusquets are behind it. The Catalan People don't want Messi around and it may be time for Messi to move away from Barcelona, the Club and the City.
Lionel Messi did what he does the best, answer his critics on the pitch. So it was natural to see Messi making the statement with a brilliant free kick on the Camp Nou pitch. That free-kick was some kind of a legend's stuff, there was one person lying on the ground, a fully packed wall, and a man on the line; in case he breaches all those defences. Breach he did, he had to.
But the build-up to the game was some of the toughest he had to face so far this season. He was hurt more or less about the manner in which the leak was made and the way it was portrayed, rather than the leak itself. The financials were never supposed to be fully secret, it will leak at some point. Especially if he leaves.
