Arteta denies insulting Lionel Messi

 

Man City assistant Mikel Arteta denies insulting Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Manchester City assistant manager Mikel Arteta has denied claims he insulted Barcelona's Lionel Messi after the teams' Champions League game on Tuesday, according to reports.

The media sources claim that Arteta, the former Everton and Arsenal midfielder, who came through the ranks at Barca, was disappointed to be linked with a controversy that he says is false.

On Wednesday, a club source at City denied reports of an allegation but a Spanish channel later claimed that Arteta had a heated exchange with Messi following City's 3-1 triumph over Barca at the Etihad stadium.