Lionel Messi’s pizza addiction was to blame for last season’s poor form according to Barcelona legend

Leo Messi's penchant for pizzas is the reason for last season's struggles.

That's according to Barcelona's former player and manager Carles Rexach who has claimed Messi's fitness has faltered due to a change in his diet last year. Rexach, who played at Camp Nou between 1967 and 1981, told Regio7 that "Before he would eat at the club and then rest afterwards, but it seems to me that last year Messi ate more pizzas than he wanted or needed." Messi's performances last season dropped significantly from the previous sky-high standard that he had set for himself as he scored just the 41 goals, his lowest tally since the 2008-09 season. But who knew a cheeky Pepperoni number was to blame. The 68-year-old has also announced his disapproval for the managerial style of current Barca boss Luis Enrique, saying: "Luis Enrique has started by imposing too many rules - if you don't train you don't play. Let's see what happens when Messi doesn't train and he needs him."