“No, I’m not signing this” – F1 driver refuses to sign Barcelona shirt with Lionel Messi’s name at the back

Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. refused to sign a FC Barcelona shirt with Lionel Messi's name on the back (via The Mirror). The Spanish Formula 1 driver is a renowned Real Madrid fan, which is why he decided against signing the shirt of their arch-rivals.

Sainz pulled down the window of his car to interact with a few fans. However, one of them tried to get his autograph on a Barcelona shirt, which the Ferrari driver instantly refused. He was heard saying the following (via The Mirror):

"No, I'm not signing this."

In response, the fan holding the shirt said:

"Forca Barca."

A video for the same can be seen below:

Carlos Sainz Jr. was born in the Spanish capital and has been a fan of Real Madrid for a long time. The Ferrari driver is seen posting pictures of himself watching Real Madrid games on his social media handles.

According to the aforementioned source, Carlos Sainz's father, also named Carlos, is an honorary member of Real Madrid due to his excellent career in rallying. His son is also making strides in the world of Formula 1.

At the time of writing, Carlos Sainz is F1's newest race winner. The 27-year-old Ferrari driver recently won the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Spaniard is currently fourth in the 2022 Drivers Standings on 144 points from the first 12 races of the season. As things stand, however, Sainz is 89 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen.

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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez talks about Lionel Messi's return to the club

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez believes that it is impossible for the club to sign Lionel Messi in the current transfer window. The 35-year-old forward is under contract with his current club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for the 2022-23 season.

Xavi was quoted as saying the following (via ESPN):

"Leo has a contract, so it's impossible, impossible. It doesn't make sense to speak about Messi. He is the best player in the world and the best ever. The president has already said that he hopes Messi's story has not finished with Barcelona. We will see in the future, but it's not the moment to speak about Leo, it's the moment to talk about the exciting players we have here."

Barcelona have so far signed these five players this summer: Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde.

Lionel Messi has entered the final year of his contract at PSG but there are reports that the club want to activate the option of a one-year extension on his deal.