"He's a super easy player to play with" - Barcelona teammate heaps praise on Lionel Messi

Barcelona star Antoine Griezmann has heaped praise on teammate Lionel Messi amid rumors of a rift between the two superstars.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the relationship between the two players since the Frenchman's arrival at Barcelona in 2019.

In an interview with French outlet L'Equipe, Antoine Griezmann insisted that he shares a great working relationship with Lionel Messi.

The former Atletico Madrid man also stated that the Argentine talisman is a "super easy player" to play with. He said (via Goal):

"Our relationship is good. We get along well. We sometimes write messages to each other, we communicate a lot in training. On the pitch, he's obviously a super easy player to play with. You send him a melon, he turns it into caviar! We don't have that pressure to miss a pass with him."

Antoine Griezmann loves playing alongside Lionel Messi 😄🗣️ "You send Messi a melon, he turns it into caviar!" [L'Equipe] pic.twitter.com/0KUxdKLFHc

— Goal (@goal) June 10, 2021

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I didn't feel important because I wasn't playing: Antoine Griezmann reflects on his two seasons at Barcelona

In the same interview, Antoine Griezmann revealed that he was unhappy whenever he wasn't seen as a first-choice player at Barcelona. The forward added that not playing games regularly made him feel like he was not important to the club. He explained:

"At the start of the season too, because I wasn't playing, I didn't feel important. I am used to playing every game, the big matches. I found myself on the bench against Real Madrid (a 3-1 loss in October 2020). It made me mad to see my team-mates warming up on the pitch while you're next to it."

Despite Barcelona having endured a 2020-21 season to forget, Antoine Griezmann is confident that the club will have a better campaign once new recruits settle in. He said:

"In the game, things get better and better. This year, it was a bit complicated because we had a lot of injuries and we played in a system where everyone was not necessarily in their best position. But we are going to start a new season with new recruits, it will go better."

Antoine Griezmann: "I feel more comfortable playing with freedom. It's true that when they put me to play on the wing, I don't have the dribble or the speed for the one against one situation." [l'equipe] pic.twitter.com/N1kXCuc0BH

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 9, 2021

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