The Lionel Messi Trophy? Ask him, says Valverde

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was unsure if LaLiga should name a trophy after Lionel Messi, saying it was up to the superstar.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas told Omnisport it would be a “great idea” to create a trophy for the best player every season and name it after Messi.

Asked about the potential award on Tuesday, Valverde told a news conference that Messi – a nine-time LaLiga champion – deserved his say on the prize.

“I don’t know but you should ask Leo Messi because they will use his name. I don’t know what to say,” he said.

“Maybe it’s a good idea, but it depends on what Leo Messi thinks. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad one.

“You’ve caught me in an offside position.”

Messi is sidelined due to a broken arm and will miss Barca’s Copa del Rey clash against Cultural Leonesa on Wednesday.

 Valverde: “The cup is a very important competition. I don’t understand the idea of not going for one tournament to focus on another” #CopaBarça pic.twitter.com/zNUzKtkUTt

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 30, 2018