Brazilian legend Rivaldo hit out at Lionel Messi in 2019 and claimed that the Argentine was responsible for Philippe Coutinho’s failures at Barcelona. He believed that the legendary footballer was the main reason why the former Liverpool man lost his confidence and was unhappy at Camp Nou.

Speaking to the media (via EverythingBarca), Rivaldo claimed that Coutinho was never given credit for his hard work on the pitch and it was Messi who grabbed all the headlines. He believed that it affected the Brazilian and it was the main reason for him to force a loan move to Bayern Munich, saying:

“I always believed that Philippe Coutinho had the ability to succeed at Barcelona, but things were taking too much time and both parties agreed on a transfer to Bayern Munich, I’m a little disappointed about his failure in gaining a regular place in the first team, but perhaps he was no longer confident about it and unhappy, so he opted for a move to another big club trying to finally recover his best football from his time at Liverpool.”

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Rivaldo continued:

“It’s never easy to find your space in a team where Lionel Messi constantly takes all the credit and responsibility. There are few players in the world capable of reaching such a situation and imposing themselves and maybe Coutinho didn’t have enough patience to find his spot in the team, the Argentinian star is the team leader and will keep playing at his best level for about three or four more years, so it is difficult to see other players shining at their best at Barcelona.”

Barcelona signed Coutinho from Liverpool for a reported £142 million in January 2018. He played 106 matches for the Catalan side and scored 25 goals while assisting 14 times.

Barcelona star sent a message to Lionel Messi on Camp Nou exit

Philippe Coutinho took to Instagram in 2021 to send a message to Lionel Messi following his Barcelona exit. He thanked the Argentine for everything he did at the club and added that he was grateful for the way he was treated by the Inter Miami star, writing:

“Leo Messi, thank you so much for everything. A great honor to have met you and played with you. I’m very grateful for the way you treated me and my family during that time! I wish you every success in your future and may God always bless your home and your family.”

Coutinho played 74 matches with Lionel Messi at Barcelona and two combined for six goals.