Barton suggests Messi's achievements merit asterisk due to childhood treatment

Joey Barton has launched his latest tirade in the direction of Lionel Messi, by claiming that there should be an asterisk to his name due to the treatment he received as a child to combat a rare growth hormone deficiency.

Messi is regarded as one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, having won eight Ballon d'Ors and dominated the sport from over a decade.

His exploits at Barcelona saw him become the club's greatest-ever player and record goal-scorer, while he also led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 - their first major tournament win since Diego Maradona's 1986 side.

However, according to former Premier League midfielder Barton, Messi's name should carry an 'asterisk' because he believes the icon was 'genetically modified' thanks to the treatment he was given early in his footballing career.

Speaking on his Common Sense Podcast, the outspoken Barton said of the Argentine: 'He's asterisk though for me,' before going on to explain to his co-hosts.

'There's a big asterisk on Messi's name for me, because he got on the steroids and all that at young age to mess with his growth.

'Messi's been genetically modified at a young age, so there has to be an asterisk next to his name.

'He was given growth hormone and all kinds of medications to help him grow. As far as I know no one else has done that. So, if you'd have left him grow naturally and left him on the roast dinners - or whatever - he wouldn't have been big enough to end up what he's ended up doing.'

Messi was diagnosed with the growth hormone deficiency when he was 10 years old and it threatened to derail his already obvious path to football stardom.

The treatment cost $1000 a month, which for two years was paid for by Messi's father's health insurance, but was