'Nobody knew about Barcelona before Messi!' - PSG star's brother Matias makes bold statement about La Liga club's history

• Matias rants on Twitch
• Claims Messi elevated Barcelona
• Thinks legend should be appreciated more

WHAT HAPPENED? Matias Messi took aim at Barcelona for not fully recognising the greatness of the World Cup winner, who claimed 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies with the Blaugrana, not to mention countless individual honours.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I don’t know about you, but Barcelona became known thanks to Messi," said his brother on the streaming platform Twitch. "Nobody knew about them before. Whoever’s had the chance to go to Barcelona and see the museum, you can see that the museum is Messi.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Barcelona have won 26 La Liga titles, with the majority coming before Messi arrived. Icons such as Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman and Patrick Kluivert are just a few of the players to have graced the club in the years prior to Messi's ascendance.

So, while Messi's greatness cannot be questioned, Matias' claim that nobody knew about Barcelona before his brother is dubious.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI? The PSG star doesn't speak much about Barcelona anymore, his focus now totally turned towards winning trophies in the French capital. A Champions League title with PSG is next on his agenda - but a tough last-16 clash with Bayern Munich awaits.