messi
Barcelona playmaker and Agentina striker Lionel Messi on friday admits that he went through “many problems on and off the pitch” last season. The 27-year-old failed to pick up a trophy for club or country and also faced charges of tax evasion.



“It was a challenge for me to return to be the player I had been in previous years,” he said ahead of today’s La Liga visit of Malaga. Messi scored 41 goals in Barca’s last campaign, compared with 60 in 2012-13 and a European record 73 in 2011-12.

The Catalan club finished second to Atletico Madrid on the final day of the La Liga season in May. “The truth is that I, since the beginning of this year, tried to start the best way. I knew that I was not coming from a great year. “I passed through many things, through many problems, not only on but also off the pitch.”