Tata Martino’s assistant manager Elvio Paolorosso has revealed that the referee apologized to Barcelona after he ruled Messi’s goal as offside.
Barcelona’s season has been underwhelming so far. The defending champions of La Liga slipped to second place in the league after being held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia before the international break. Surprisingly, Sevilla are at the top of the table, as Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid also face a heavy decline in form.
The Catalan giants are winless in their last four La Liga games, and their 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur is the only saving grace in a rather disappointing season so far. Ernesto Valverde’s side has only scored 15 points from their first eight matches in the league.
The league, for the moment, looks too close to call, just like the 2013/14 season, where Atletico Madrid won on the last day of the season. The Madrid side played the title-decider against Barcelona, needing only a point to win the league.
Atletico salvaged a draw, with Messi’s goal ruled out for offside. Now, Barcelona’s former assistant manager Elvin Paolorosso has revealed that the referee apologized to the Barcelona camp after the match ended.
Referee apologized to Barcelona
The former assistant manager spoke about the match against Atletico Madrid in the 2013/14 season. After the Antonio Mateu Lahoz ruled Messi’s goal out for offside, he came to the Barcelona dressing room after the match to apologize.
🎙 [MD] | Elvio Paolorosso (ex-Barca fitness coach): “Mateu Lahoz asked us to forgive him for canceling Messi’s goal that would have given us the league (2013/14)” pic.twitter.com/9BxuHjaUi4
— BarcaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 13, 2018
“Messi scored a goal that would have given us the title and the referee ruled it out,” said Paulorosso. “We were crying in the dressing room and the referee came to apologize,” he said.
Elvio Paolorosso: “I hear people just punish (Messi). They say that he then goes to Europe and forgets, that he has money, that he enjoys. He was lying there, without anyone there to console him. He was totally alone.”
— Juan G. Arango 🇨🇴 🇮🇹 (@JuanG_Arango) September 14, 2018
“It was a difficult year,” added the former assistant manager.
Elvio Paolorosso (fitness coach of then 🇦🇷 manager Gerardo Martino): “The dressing room after the 2016 Copa America was very painful, but the worst was to come. Around 2am I went to the store room and found Messi completely alone, crying like a kid who lost his mother.” pic.twitter.com/2xt2VT4CuD
— M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) September 14, 2018
Had the goal stood, Barcelona would’ve won the league. Instead, the match finish 1-1 and Atletico Madrid lifted the La Liga title.
Barcelona have won three La Liga titles since the 2013/14 season, while Atletico are yet to repeat their title-winning run. This season, however, things look close in La Liga.
Elvio Paolorosso (former Argentina’s fitness trainer): “After the loss of Copa America and at 2 a.m. in the morning, more or less, I went to the store room and found Leo Messi completely alone, crying like a kid who lost his mother.” pic.twitter.com/Vff4g4cllQ
— FORÇA BARÇA (@ForcaBarcaEN) September 14, 2018
Both the Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona have struggled throughout the season, with the former on a four-match goalless run.
