Messi brushes off ´dictator´ tag

Lionel Messi has laughed off suggestions his Barcelona team-mates think he has too much influence, on and off the field.

The Argentine superstar has become embroiled in heated on-field debates with Cristian Tello, Isaac Cuenca and David Villa over the past two seasons, but Messi has claimed there are no problems between him and the rest of the dressing room.

“A little dictator? I don’t care what people say. My team-mates all know that I’m not like that,” Messi was quoted as saying by Sport.

“It is a privilege to be part of the best Barcelona ever. Not just for what we have achieved, but also because of the way we play.”

The Argentina international went on to stress he is not affected by rival fans’ attempts to upset him by chanting Cristiano Ronaldo’s name.

“I do not care about those chants,” he said.

“It’s only normal that rival fans are trying to distract you.”

Messi has also had his say on Real Madrid, offering nothing but praise for the Catalans’ arch-rivals.

“Madrid are one of the best teams in the world and games against them are always nice to play,” the forward told El Mundo Deportivo.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best, and Pepe is a great defender.”

Barcelona hold an eight-point lead over Madrid in the Liga table.