Messi sad but still motivated after Suarez departure

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - FC Barcelona v Elche - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - September 19, 2020. Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts. REUTERS/Albert Gea

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said he understood why Lionel Messi was upset about the departure of his long-time strike partner and friend Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid but did not believe it would affect him on the pitch.

Messi blasted Barca on Friday for forcing Suarez out after six years of service in which he scored 198 goals, the Argentinean's latest attack on the club's hierarchy after he tried to force a move of his own last month.