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Football: Messi trains alone as Barca reintegration begins

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Thomas ALLNUTT, Agence France-Presse

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE14xa4KMAm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE14xa4KMAm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"></div> <div 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C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top:8px"> <div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"> <div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"></div></div></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"></div></div></a><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE14xa4KMAm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona)</a> on <time style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px" dateTime="2020-09-07T16:26:53+00:00">Sep 7, 2020 at 9:26am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="http://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>MADRID, Spain -- Lionel Messi returned to Barcelona training for the first time on Monday since his failed attempt to leave the club this summer.</p><p>Barca confirmed Messi has started by training alone, in line with La Liga protocol.</p><p>&quot;The 2020/2021 preseason is under way for Leo Messi,&quot; the statement read. &quot;The Barca number 10 trained on his own, as did (Philippe) Coutinho, according to La Liga protocol whilst the rest of the squad worked out together.&quot;</p><p>Messi was seen driving into the Ciutat Esportiva and Barca posted a photo on social media just before 6:30 pm (1630 GMT) of him training in kit and working with a ball.</p><p>The 33-year-old was taking part in his first session since Ronald Koeman was appointed coach and his first since he said on Friday he had been forced to stay at Barcelona.</p><p>In an explosive interview with Goal, Messi blamed the club&#x27;s president Josep Maria Bartomeu for &quot;breaking his word&quot; over a much-disputed exit clause in his contract.</p><p>He said he would continue to give his best for the team but maintained he had tried to leave the club because he &quot;wanted to live his last years of football happily&quot;.</p><p>The return of Barcelona&#x27;s embittered captain and greatest ever player may not be an easy one, particularly given some of his closest team-mates are likely to leave.</p><p>Luis Suarez, Messi&#x27;s best friend and neighbour, as well as Arturo Vidal, are expected to join Juventus and Inter Milan respectively. </p><p>&quot;Now I don&#x27;t know what will happen,&quot; Messi said on Friday.</p><p>&quot;There is a new coach and new ideas. That&#x27;s good, but then we have to see how the team responds and whether or not it will allow us to compete at the top level. What I can say is that I&#x27;m staying and I&#x27;m going to give my best for Barcelona.&quot;</p><div><strong>- Long-term future in doubt -</strong></div><p>Messi&#x27;s decision to notify the club via burofax that he intended to leave came shortly after he met with Koeman, talks that reportedly involved the Dutchman taking a hard line. </p><p>Koeman said in his first press conference he &quot;only wanted players who want to be here and give everything&quot;.</p><p>Messi also refused to attend either a coronavirus test or Koeman&#x27;s first week of pre-season training last week, as his lawyers believed participating would harm his case in a potential legal battle with the club.</p><p>But Messi opted not to go down that route, insisting he could never go to court against &quot;the club of my life&quot;.</p><p>Yet his long-term future remains in doubt given Messi can talk to other clubs in January and leave for free when his contract expires on June 30.</p><p>Messi could feature in Barcelona&#x27;s friendly against Gimnastic Tarragona on Saturday but a more realistic reintroduction might be against Girona four days later.</p><p>It would be the first time he has played for the team since their historic 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in last month&#x27;s Champions League quarter-finals.</p><p>Barcelona have been given an extra two weeks off to recover before they start their La Liga season against Villarreal, scheduled for September 27.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Lionel Messi returned to Barcelona training for the first time on Monday since his failed attempt to leave the club this summer.</p>

Lionel Messi returned to Barcelona training for the first time on Monday since his failed attempt to leave the club this summer.

Football: Messi trains alone as Barca reintegration begins

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Football: Messi trains alone as Barca reintegration begins

Thomas ALLNUTT,

Agence France-Presse

Published Sep 08, 2020 10:00 AM PHT

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