Messi comments on the "incident of assault""
Argentine Lionel Messi commented on the reported abuse, while on vacation on the Spanish island of Ibiza with his friends and family.
The Barcelona player appeared in a video in a place that looked like a nightclub, surrounded by guards, and appeared to have been physically assaulted.
However, in a blog post on his Instagram account, "The Flea" denied this, confirming that he had a "great night" in Ibiza.
The owner of the five golden balls wrote: "A wonderful night yesterday in Ibiza with friends. Don't pay any attention to anything you read that has nothing to do with reality. Everything was great last night and everyone treated us incredibly as always. False news.""
Messi appeared with his Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, and their former teammate Cesc Fabregas, all with their wives, at the end of the summer break leading up to the start of the new season.
La Liga opens on 16 August, with the Catalan team starting the season with a tough test away from home against hosts Athletic Bilbao.