Jordi Alba revealed Lionel Messi took a risk playing injured to help Barcelona secure La Liga title.
The Argentine star picked up a hamstring injury in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain. Frustrated with the slow healing process, he decided to play through the pain to aid his team.
Media and critics were quick to see that Messi was not at his usual best and teammate Alba admitted that it was a very risky move.
“He is the best player in the world,” he said. “It is normal that he got annoyed about his injury, but he took risks to be with the team.
“When he did not play it was because he could not. I do not know about ‘Messidependencia’ [Messi-dependent] but he helps a lot.
“On many occasions we depend on him, but we also have other players who are very good.”
Alba joined from Valencia last summer and has enjoyed his first season with the Catalans, collecting league honours in the process.
“To sign for Barcelona is maybe the best thing that could have happened to me,” he continued. “We went through difficult moments, but at the end we were able to lift the club to a trophy as important as La Liga.”
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