Lionel Messi has angrily rubbished reports that he made a rude gesture to Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, after being substituted against Real Sociedad—as John Drayton reports in the Daily Mail.
The incident came with the Catalan giants 4-1 up against their La Liga opponents with 81 minutes on the clock.
Having scored one himself, hit the woodwork and created another goal for Marc Bartra, Messi was withdrawn by Martino in the closing stages. Spanish newspaper AS claimed the
decision made Messi unhappy, and caused him to make his feelings known.


However, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner responded on his official Facebook page, branding the reports "media lies," per Drayton.
Nobody likes to be replaced, but we must accept it because it is the best for our team.
What I will not accept is that certain media tell lies about any situation that happens around me.
Messi has never appeared especially enthusiastic about leaving the field—as with most top players—and he has rarely been substituted during the past few seasons.
                
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In 54 appearances last year, he departed prematurely in just four games, mostly as an injury precaution.
The season before, in 2011/12, during 78 appearances for club and country—across eight different competitions—amazingly, Messi was never substituted, as per Transfermarkt.
Fast forward to this current season and it's a different story entirely, with Messi withdrawn three times during the eight games he's played. A far higher percentage than in any of the previous years—albeit at a very early stage.