The footballer also offered his support to Ernesto Valverde amid rumors regarding the tactician's future.

Lionel Messi faced the media ahead of the Copa del Rey final, but he seemed to be really affected by the team's UEFA Champions League loss against Liverpool.

The Argentine ace came forward to share his grief over that clash, while going as far as to apologize for the loss against the Reds, which erased any chance of winning yet another treble this season.

"We are sad, we are still recovering from that Liverpool loss, or at least I am. We had a great season, excluding the match against Liverpool, which tarnished the entire season. We need to focus on tomorrow's game and try to finish the season on a high, if that expression is allowed after what happened. We have to go out there and win our second title of the season," Messi said.

The Argentine superstar referred to the rumors that refer to the number of changes the squad will experience, but that did not prove useful to leave the Liverpool topic behind.

"We are sad, but I don't need to say anything about changing this or that. That job belongs to someone else. I can only said that we are disappointed," Messi revealed.

Speaking about the transfer rumors, Messi refused to have a say on Antoine Griezmann's alleged transfer to the Blaugrana outfit.

"No comment," Messi briefly stated.

Lastly, the footballer had his say on Ernesto Valverde's future. According to his words, he has urged Barcelona to keep the boss around despite the two shocking UEFA Champions League exits the club has experienced under his command.

"I'd like the mister to stay here. Last year we won the double, and this year we can do the same, but with that 'Champions League stain. This year's is even bigger. I believe Valverde has done an impressive job, he had almost nothing to do with the outcome of the game against Liverpool, we all regret what happened, but it was not just his fault," Messi concluded.

Messi and Co. will battle for a fifth Copa del Rey title in a row against Valencia this Saturday. Keep track of that game with our TV listings wherever you are.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Barcelona 1 - 2 Valencia

May 25, 2019 3:00pmEstadio Benito Villamarín (Sevilla)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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