According to recent reports coming from Catalan sources like Mundo Deportivo and Diario Sport, Real Betis' left-back Junior Firpo has been identified as the frontrunner to serve as Jordi Alba's back-up for the next season. Although the 22-year-old has a high ceiling and every football fan would like to welcome him in their team, Junior's past makes his move to Catalonia a little bit more complicated.


The Domenican-born Spanish international recently confessed his father is a Real Madrid fan. Moreover, back in the days, the left-back tweeted some nasty things regarding Barca's current captain Leo Messi. More specifically, Firpo wished that Messi 'picks up an injury and dies so that he doesn't score more goals' for Barcelona.

"I hope that sh*t rat Messi picks up an injury and dies and stops scoring goals, ahhaha," the tweet reads.

However, more than seven years past and linked with Blaugrana, Junior is ready to apologize:

"It's something that doesn't matter and that I can explain it without problems. It turns out that my best friend at the time was from Barcelona and therefore he was also a Messi fan because Leo is the best in the world without discussion.

"And in order to pick up on him, I started saying ugly things about Messi on Twitter. That's it, kids stuff.

"Also from that time there was a tweet of mine in which I said some silly stuff about Julia, who was then my girlfriend and now is my wife and mother of my daughter. They are things that are done at 15 years when nobody knows you and when you cannot think that this will have an impact years later, because then you cannot imagine that you will become a professional.

"But I also say that if for those tweets someone felt offended and I have to apologize, I apologize, I do it humbly and without problems."

Moreover, the 22-year-old is currently full of praise for Messi:

"He is the best in the world by far, there is no doubt about that. I always say it when talking about the Ballon d'Or: they have to give it to Messi first and then create a prize for the rest of mortals and see who deserves it more."