GOAL

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has hit out at former playing colleague Eric Abidal, who had strongly criticized the Blaugrana for their performances on the pitch.

Abidal, who played alongside Messi at Camp Nou and now acts as Barca's technical secretary, held an interview with Sport which was published on Tuesday. 

During the chat, the Frenchman suggested that part of the dressing room was not performing up to expectations under former coach Ernesto Valverde. 

"A lot of players were not happy and did not work much and there was also a problem with internal communication," he told the newspaper. 

"The relationship between the coach and dressing room was always good, but there are things that as an ex-player I can sense. I told the club what I thought and we had to make a decision." 

Valverde was sacked from his post in January following Supercopa defeat to Atletico Madrid, with former Betis boss Quique Setien entering the fray. 

But Messi was not impressed with Abidal's comments, telling his old colleague to either name names or refrain from commenting on the squad.

"I honestly don’t like to do this kind of thing but I think everyone has to be responsible for their own work and decisions," the Argentine fired on Instagram. 

"The players [are responsible for] what happens on the pitch and we are also the first to recognize when we haven’t performed well.

"Those responsible for the sporting development [of the club] should also assume their responsibilities and above all else take ownership over the decisions they make. 

"Finally, when players are referenced, their names should be included otherwise you are implicating all of us and fueling hearsay that isn’t true."