I told Messi he was short, he told me I was bad – Gonzalez

Lionel Messi told Alvaro Gonzalez he was “bad” and the Espanyol defender let him know that he was too short.

Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.

The return leg was a much tamer affair compared to the first instalment between the two rivals, when Espanyol had two men sent off in a 4-1 loss. 

However, after Gonzalez had fouled Messi in the second leg, the two were involved in some on-field banter.

“Leo was criticising me for some things, and I some others,” he told reporters. “I asked him if he thinks I will hurt him, and he said yes.

“He told me that I was bad, and I told him he was short. But both accepted it, laughed, and left it at that.

“There’s no need to make a big deal, what happens on the pitch stays there, and that’s it. 

“The best thing about these derbies is the healthy rivalry we have.”

Barcelona advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win.