Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s last match of the calendar year after the Catalan giants announced yesterday that ankle treatment will keep him out of their midweek La Liga match with Eibar. In a statement, Barca said Messi “is completing the treatment for his right ankle, and is expected to return to training after the FC Barcelona v SD Eibar match”.
Messi has already missed two matches for Barca in December, as he sat out their Champions League fixtures at Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros. Messi has played 18 times this season for the five-time European champions, scoring 10 times. His last goal, the third in a 3-0 win at Real Valladolid on Wednesday, took the Argentine past Pele for the number of goals scored for one club. His strike in the 65th minute took him to 644 goals, one more than the number Brazilian icon Pele scored for Santos.
After a troubling start to the campaign Barca have taken 10 points from their last four games and sit fifth in La Liga. However Ronald Koeman’s side find themselves eight points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, with Barca having also played one game more.


Messi says ‘lucky’ to have worked under 
Guardiola
Meanwhile, Messi said he counts himself “lucky” to have worked under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona between 2008-12 and says the Spaniard brings “something special” to coaching, comments that are likely to fuel speculation the pair could reunite at Manchester City.
Messi was a mainstay of Guardiola’s Barca side that won 14 major titles and has been linked with a switch to City since the manager signed a new deal that will keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2022-23 season.
The Argentine player is into the final few months of his current contract in Spain having unsuccessfully tried to leave Barca during the close season. “Pep has something special,” Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta.
“He makes you see things in one way: how he prepares for matches, defensively, how to attack... he told you exactly how the match was going to be, how you had to attack to win. I was lucky... to train under Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the two best. Having them made me grow a lot physically and mentally, and also the tactical wisdom they’ve taught me.”
Guardiola said last month that he is unsure what the future holds for Messi but hopes that, as a Barcelona fan, he will remain at the La Liga club until the end of his career.
The Argentine forward also spoke about his personal life. “I am privileged because of all that I’ve been able to experience, but there are times when I would like to be anonymous. I would like to be able to enjoy going to a market, a cinema or a restaurant, especially when I am with my children”.
Regarding the poor 2019-20 season ending and his own complications at Barcelona, Messi said: “Now I’m fine. I had a very bad time in the summer, because of the end of the season and what happened after that. Now I feel good, and I’m eager and excited. I know that the club is going through a difficult time, the team and also at club level, but I’m excited for the challenge.”