Lionel Messi has announced that he will not return to Barcelona but will move to Inter Miami. In an exclusive interview, he explained why.
In an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport, Messi explained why he did not choose to return to Barcelona: “The truth is that of course I would have loved to return to Barca, I would have been very happy to be able to return, but on the other hand, after what I went through and the farewell, I did not want to repeat the same situation again, which is to wait and see what happens and leave my future in the hands of others, so to speak. I wanted to make my own decision, thinking about myself, my family”.
For Messi, the farewell at the end of the summer of 2021 was too painful, a wound that has not yet healed.
“I was portrayed as a villain in the movies and I don’t really like that because that is not the case. That’s why I wanted to have a real goodbye at some point with the people I lived with, enjoyed and suffered so much. We were together for many years and I wanted to say goodbye as I deserved,” Messi said.
“I left in a strange way, I wanted to say goodbye like I did now with Busi (Sergio Busquets), Jordi (Alba), or like it happened with Xavi and Iniesta. I wanted to leave that way, to be able to say goodbye to everyone in a good way, even though it was a time of pandemic and there couldn’t be people in the stadium. I wanted to know that I was playing with people, to know that I was enjoying it. That’s why I’m so happy when I hear my name at the Nou Camp or Barcelona.”
Messi was also asked how other members of his family reacted to the possibility of returning to Barcelona: “My family are very happy about everything they heard, but at the same time we are not very excited because we do not know what will happen. Obviously they are very eager to return. We never wanted to leave, which was very difficult, but they also supported me and it was a decision for the whole family, not just mine.
They are happy for the change, although they are sad to leave. It was difficult at first but now they are more adapted to Paris. My children have friends at school and it hurts to be separated from all that. They are grown up. Above all, Thiago understands the situation and is happy about what is to come.”
Regarding his contact with Barcelona in recent months, Messi said: “I have actually spoken very little with President Laporta, once or twice at most. I have spoken a lot with Xavi. We also talked about the possibility of me coming back. We were excited, because when something came out, we discussed whether he really wanted me to come back, whether it would be good for the team and for him, and we kept in touch.”
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