Former Barcelona Legend Lionel Messi has admitted he was “not ready” to leave FC Barcelona when he was forced to leave the club in 2021 despite agreeing on a new deal to stay.
The Argentina captain spent over 20 years at Barcelona, came through the youth system, and became the best footballer in history. In 778 appearances in all competitions, Leo Messi scored a club record 672 goals, won 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues, and lifted a record six of his Ballon d’Or gongs thanks to his remarkable performances.
The Whole football world was left in shock when Barcelona confirmed they could not register Messi’s contract for the 2021/22 season due to their financial situation, leading to the forward joining PSG as a free agent shortly afterward.
In an interview with Big Time, Leo Messi looked back and admitted it was a “difficult” situation.
“The change was difficult when I went to PSG because I was doing very well at Barcelona and planned to stay there,” the Argentina star explained.
“I wasn’t ready to leave, everything happened very quickly, I had to rebuild my life day by day. I got to know another league, another club, a new dressing room. It was a change we weren’t looking for.” because and that’s why it was hard at first.”
After his 2-year stint at PSG, Lionel Messi wanted to rejoin FC Barcelona in the 2023 summer transfer window, insisting he “tried but it wasn’t possible”. However, the legendary forward opted to join MLS side Inter Miami instead, as other Barcelona players needed to reduce their wages at the club to facilitate his return to Catalonia.
“I heard that it was said that La Liga accepted that everything was fine for me to come back, there were still many other things that needed to be done,” Leo Messi said last summer. “I heard that [Barcelona] had to sell players or cut players’ salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through with that.”
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