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Samuel Umtiti Skipped Joan Gamper Trophy Celebrations After Furious Barcelona Fans Booed Him Amid Lionel Messi's Exit

Samuel Umtiti Skipped Joan Gamper Trophy Celebrations After Furious Barcelona Fans Booed Him Amid Lionel Messi's Exit

Antoine Griezmann took to Instagram and showed his support towards France teammate Samuel Umtiti after Barcelona's victory over Juventus.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Samuel Umtiti went to the dressing room and did not take part in Barcelona's Joan Gamper Trophy celebrations after furious fans booed him before and during the match.

Barcelona clashed with Juventus at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday only hours after Lionel Messi's emotional farewell press conference.

Messi agreed to a whopping 50 per cent wage cut as part of a new Barcelona deal, but the Spanish club were unable to push the contract through due to La Liga's financial rules.

The 34-year-old Argentine superstar, who is expected to sign for Paris Saint-Germain this summer, would have been unable to play for Barcelona for free due to Spanish law.

According to Goal, Barcelona offered to release Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic from their respective deals in a desperate bid to reduce their wage bill.

The Independent reports that Barcelona's wage percentage needs to be at 70 per cent, but it currently stands at 95 per cent even without Messi signing a new contract.

PA

Umtiti, who was reportedly linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham this summer, wanted to stay at Barcelona for the new La Liga season.

However, the 27­-year-old French centre-back didn't receive a positive reception from Barcelona fans in his side's 3-0 win over Juventus.

Umtiti was 'whistled' at during the Barcelona presentation, but he also met the same reception when he came off the bench in the second half to replace Ronald Araujo.

La Sexta reporter Josep Gomez claimed that fans' reaction to the Barcelona defender 'did not sit well with him' and he went to the dressing room without waiting for the Gamper Trophy presentation.

Umtiti, who was signed from Lyon in 2016, later broke his silence by posting a message on his Instagram Stories.

The 2018 World Cup winner wrote: "Sometimes, it's better to say nothing and let the silence take care of things."

Instagram/Samuel Umtiti and Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann also took to Instagram to show his solidarity of support for his Barcelona and France teammate.

Goals from Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig sealed the win for Ronald Koeman's men against Juventus.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter

Topics: Football, Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Spain, La Liga