Ivan Rakitic claims Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona captain Lionel Messi 'get along very well'

Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic became the latest figure to comment on the relationship between Barcelona skipper Leo Messi and Antoine Griezmann. Much has been made on the situation in the recent past, with the Frenchman and his Argentine skipper seemingly not getting along at the Nou Camp.

Griezmann moved to the Nou Camp in the summer of 2019 for a staggering €120m fee but has not had the best of seasons with the Blaugrana. In fact, he's had one of his worst campaigns in LaLiga Santander in terms of numbers and the Frenchman, to make matters worse, has been constantly played out of position.

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Rakitic comments on Messi and Griezmann's relationship at Barcelona

Messi and Griezmann in training

Speaking on his former teammates at Barcelona, Rakitic revealed;

"From what I saw, [Leo] Messi and [Antoine] Griezmann got along very well. I got along really well with them, the pair drink mate together and spend a lot of time in the dressing room together."

The Sevilla star added,

"If they start to score goals, nobody will say anything anymore; it's the requirement placed upon great teams. I don't have any concerns because they are both spectacular guys."

6 - Antoine Griezmann has failed to score in his last six league appearances and hasn’t gone seven without a goal in the top-flight since December 2016 (nine, at Atlético de Madrid). Challenge. pic.twitter.com/MZf6zyikE3

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) June 23, 2020

The Croat spent six years at Barcelona after moving from Sevilla and returned to his former club this summer, and has gotten off to a great start at the club during his second spell.

Griezmann amassed 31 starts for Barcelona in their LaLiga campaign last year, and managed just nine goals in that period, which was his lowest tally since the turn of the last decade. The 29-year-old was also absent from the first XI for a number of notable games in the season, particularly for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

The World Cup winner's former advisor, Eric Olhats, was critical of Messi's attitude towards the Frenchman, saying that it is 'deplorable'.

4 - Antoine Griezmann has both scored and assisted in the same game for @FCBarcelona in all competitions for the fourth time, the first one in 2020. Optimism. pic.twitter.com/frVqndPIvf

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2020

Speaking on Griezmann's difficult season at the Nou Camp, Olhats said;

"Antoine [Griezmann] arrived in a struggling club where [Leo] Messi has a view on everything. He’s at the same time emperor and monarch, and he didn’t see Antoine’s arrival with a good eye. His attitude has been deplorable, he made him feel that. I’ve always heard Antoine say there’s no problem with Messi, but never the other way around."

Griezmann's former advisor continued,

"In my eyes, Messi said he wanted to leave to see what role he still had as a decision-making player, regarding the players who arrived and those who left, but he eventually stayed. Classic Messi! As good on the pitch as he is bad off it."

While his displays have been notably better in the 2020/21 campaign, Griezmann is yet to have the desired impact at Barcelona. He's seen six starts in the league this season, but only has two goals and an assist to show for in those 441 minutes.

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