Everton midfielder Royston Drenthe has claimed that Barcelona star Lionel Messi has called him a "negro" on more than one occasion.
The Dutchman, who came up against Messi several times during his spells at Real Madrid and Hercules, has admitted that he has always had problems with the Argentine.
"We played against each other a lot, and we always had problems. You know what really bothers me? That tone with which he always called me 'negro, negro'," Drenthe told Dutch magazine Helden.
Drenthe explained that although he realises the use of the term is quite common in South America, he finds it hard to deal with, and that his former teammate Mahamadou Diarra has had similar problems.
"I understand that it is very common in South America, but we cannot stand it. Mahamadou Diarra, my teammate at Real, would become furious when Gabriel Heinze and Gonzalo Higuain initially called him 'negro'. But they soon stopped," added Drenthe.
"When I played against Barcelona with Hercules, I had the same problems with Messi again. Before the match, he gave me a hand and said, 'Hola negro'. He didn't shake my hand again after the match. I don't think he'll invite me to his birthday party."
Drenthe is unlikely to make his loan move to Everton permanent and has stated that he wants to return to former club Feyernoord.
Matt Cotton
