The guy has been in the zone and crushing it for years. He’s now a senior veteran of the game with a freaking massive platform. IMO he’s done a damn good job of curating his image and not saying or doing anything outrageous over his career to bring it down. Just imagine the daily pressure he’s felt all his life since joining Barcelona. He even said it himself in one of his most recent interviews that he has refrained from commenting in person or on social media his opinions of things because he knows he’ll receive backlash no matter what he says. He knows his career is coming to an end soon so he probably feels like he has a little bit more freedom now to voice his opinions when on the field or in post match press conferences.