Lionel Messi's former team mate Dani Alves has said the Argenine deserves to have the club's Camp Nou stadium named after him and that will never find a better home than the Catalan side.
Alves said he shared Messi's concern over how Barca was being run under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu and said the club should have showed more respect to their all-time top scorer, who threatened to walk out over the summer.
Messi eventually decided to stay with Barca as he did not wish to face a legal battle with the club but is into the final year of his contract and can leave for free next June unless he signs a new deal.
"Messi is as great as the badge of Barcelona. But as he could see that everything around him was a disaster, it's understandable that he wanted to leave," Alves told Catalan radio station Rac1.
________________
Barca v Dynamo player ratings
-
BARCA PLAYER RATINGS V DYNAMO KIEV: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, 9 – Returned from injury to make his first start of the season, and was Barca’s man of the match. He had very little to do early on, but he came to life when he was called into action to save well from Buyalskyi. He made further crucial saves to deny Supriaha and Tsygankov, and was unlucky to parry the ball into the path of Tsygankov for Kyiv’s consolation. Getty -
Sergino Dest, 6 – The American looked dangerous going forward and was at his most potent when reaching the byline and cutting the ball back into the box, which he did several times. Was sometimes caught out on the break, though. AFP -
Frenkie De Jong, 6 – Filled in at centre-back alongside Pique and had a difficult evening. Kyiv had plenty of clear-cut scoring chances and De Jong looked uncomfortable. AFP -
Gerard Pique, 7 – Pique had to use all his experience in a tense end to the first half as Kyiv threatened to level with the score at 1-0. In the second half, he found himself in the right place at the right time to glance Fati’s cross to double Barca’s advantage. Looked to have handled the ball in a dangerous area late on, but the referee waved play on. Reuters -
Jordi Alba, 5 – A poor night for Alaba, who struggled to keep Kyiv’s depleted side under wraps. Barca looked vulnerable on the break but also on both flanks. Reuters -
Sergio Busquets, 5 – Barca’s midfield struggled to assert their authority on the game and Busquets was guilty of failing to keep possession. The match sometimes passed him by, and he was replaced in the second half. AP -
Miralem Pjanic, 6 – A frustrating evening for Pjanic who, while looking dangerous going forward, didn’t do enough to dominate in the middle. Doesn’t seem to be clicking when playing alongside Busquets. AFP -
Pedri, 7 – The youngster was unlucky to find the net. First, after getting on the end of a pull-back from Dest, he thundered the ball against the bar. Then, just before the break, he failed to beat Neshcheret when he connected with another Dest cross. Getty -
Ansu Fati, 8 – He was a constant menace on the left, going close and forcing a save from Neshcheret when he cut through both Kedziora and Tsygankov. Moments later, he headed just wide from a corner. He was most effective when cutting in from the left, and he did so again before crossing for Pique to head home Barca’s winner. EPA -
Lionel Messi, 8 – Made his 150th European appearance for Barcelona and was dangerous all evening. He dictated the early play and was brought down in the fifth minute. He dusted himself off to convert from the spot for his fourth of the season, all of which have come from the penalty spot. Could have had more but for a fine performance from Neshcheret in the Kyiv goal. Getty -
Antoine Griezmann, 6 – The Frenchman has been criticised for not contributing, but tonight he had opportunities to score. He came close early on and then missed from six yards with the goal gaping following Neshcheret’s save from Fati’s effort. That miss seemed to dent his confidence, and he went missing for much of the match thereafter. AP -
SUBS: Ousmane Dembele (Griezmann, 60) 8 – Seems to make the best impact for the team when he comes on as a sub. He had a shot soon after entering the game, and he looked lively in the ten minutes he was on the field. Getty -
Sergi Roberto (Pjanic 60) 6 – Came close with a header moments after coming on, but his effort was denied by Neshcheret from point-blank range. EPA -
Clement Lenglet (Busquets 73) N/A – Came on in an attempt from Ronald Koeman to shore up the defence, but he gave away a lot of fouls, heaping more pressure on his teammates. Getty -
Francisco Trincao (Fati 73) N/A – Had big shoes to fill when coming on to replace the impressive Fati, and struggled to get into the game. Getty -
Carles Alena (Pedri 83) N/A – More game time for the 22-year-old. Endured a tense finish, but made few errors when coming on. Getty
________________
"He has done so much that he deserves to have the stadium named after him."
Brazilian right back Alves, who spent years as Messi's provider-in-chief at Barca and won three Champions League titles alongside him, also urged the forward to stay at the club.
"I told him not to leave Barca," added Alves, 37, who left the club in 2016 to join Juventus and now plays for Brazilian side Sao Paulo.
"When the club was trying to get rid of me I told him so and he said to me 'Don't go, where could you go that is better than here?'. I told him the same thing [this summer]. He didn't reply but I know that he got the message."
Barca have made a slow start to the La Liga season and have failed to win their last four outings, including losing 3-1 to Real Madrid last month.
"Barcelona has changed its philosophy so it's normal that it's having problems right now," Alves added.
