Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has posted a cryptic message on Instagram after getting booed by fans in the Joan Gamper Trophy game against Juventus.
Barcelona beat the Serie A giants 3-0, with Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig getting on the scoresheet. It was the first game the team played after Lionel Messi’s exit from the Camp Nou. Umtiti did not start the game, but came on as a substitute.
As soon as Umtiti stepped foot on the pitch, he was jeered by Barcelona fans. This was because of the anger surrounding Messi’s exit. Umtiti was one of the players who did not take a pay cut for the football club. As a result, the fans took to jeering him.
It was reported that Umtiti was visibly frustrated by the reaction, and did not take it well. In fact, after the match, he went to the locker room and did not come out for the trophy celebrations. He even missed the customary trophy picture after the celebrations.
After everything was done, Umtiti took to Instagram and posted a picture on his story. The image contained a cryptic message, and it looks like a dig at the Barcelona fans.
The message, in French, read, “Parfois, il est préférable de ne rien dire et de laisser le silence s’occuper des choses.”
This roughly translates to “Sometimes, it is better to say nothing and let the silence deal with things.”
Inconsistencies
While it is a bit harsh to boo a player for honouring a contract the club itself gave him, Umtiti must also come to terms with the fact that he should step up. For a long time, his performances have been abject, and not up to the level of previous seasons.
The Frenchman dipped in form after his World Cup-winning season, and only regressed from there. He is behind Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo and fellow Frenchman Clement Lenglet in the pecking order. He will look to use this season as a fresh start, something that is synonymous with the entire club as they enter the post-Messi era.
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