"Messi is smiling and we are calm"

FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is insistent that Leo Messi is happy at Barça, a factor which he says shows out on the field and which he demonstrated in the game against Atlético (3-1) in the wake of the controversy about his relationship with Luis Enrique.

"You can see Messi's happiness out on the pitch. You can see it in the level of his performance at the moment, in his smile; we are calm because Leo is good", he told 'BeIN Sports'.

He also denied any "bad relationship at all" in the 'Blaugrana' dressing room. "There are always things going on in a team, but the relationship is good and there's a good atmosphere. I see them first hand and there is great unity" he added.

On the squad, Bartomeu commented that "everyone is ambitious", assuring that the players are working hard to get it right. "I ask that we concentrate our efforts on supporting the team, all of them: the coaches, the manager, the staff, because we are still only halfway through the season and there is another half to go. I believe that's what the Camp Nou supporters want, to support everyone", he said.

The club president went on to make it clear that electoral debates and controversies were off the agenda until the end of the season. "We have brought the elections forward so that this debate going on around us and the tension, which is completely over the top, can be left until the end of the season. Let's not discuss things that happen off the pitch, let's focus on football", he stressed.