The Lionel Messi saga has come to an end, at least for the time being.
On Friday in a video interview published by Goal.com, the Argentine superstar announced that he’ll be staying at FC Barcelona for the coming season. So any MLS club speculation – the talk of his potentially joining NYCFC had gained steam in recent days – will have to wait another year.
Messi made it clear he had already made up his mind to leave, but he claims he was duped by FC Barcelona’s president Josep Bartomeu who allegedly reneged on his vow to allow Messi to decide his future at the end of the season. Instead of taking the club to court, Messi decided to stick around one more year.
Read the most interesting excerpts from his interview below or watch the subtitled video in full here:
“I told the club and the president that I wanted to go because I’ve been telling him for the past year, and I thought it was the moment to move aside, I thought the club needed new people and new ideas and that my time at Barcelona had come to an end. And it was tough because what I said I always wanted was to end my career with the club. But it was a complicated year during which I suffered during training, during games and in the locker room. Everything was difficult. And all of it made me think about moving on from the club, looking for a new environment and a new experience for me.
“It was a decision that I was thinking about all year and I was telling the president [Bartomeu] and the president always said that at the end of the year I could decide if I wanted to stay or not. But in the end, he didn’t keep his word.
“I was sure that I was free [to sign with a new club] and that the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide whether to stay or go. And now they’re saying that I didn’t do it before June 10 [deadline stipulated in Messi's contract] when on June 10 we were still competing for La Liga in the middle of this virus.
“That’s the reason I’ll continue at the club. They told me the only way to leave would be to pay the buyout clause ($837 million) which is obviously impossible. And if not, it was going to court. And going to court is crazy. I didn’t want to take this club to court – the club I love, the club that has given me everything and helped me since I’ve arrived here. It’s the club of my life. My life was made in Barcelona. I grew up here and it’s given me everything and I gave it everything and it never crossed my mind to take the club to court to be able to leave.
“I’m going to stay. As much as I wanted to go, my attitude won’t change when it comes time to competing. I always want to win and I don’t want to lose at anything. I always want the best for the club and the best for me and for the locker room. I said it at the time that [Barcelona] didn’t have what it takes to win the Champions League [this year] and now I don’t know what’s going to happen with a new coach [Ronald Koeman] and new ideas.”
“I think it’s my right to be able to decide because my contract allowed me and the president did ... There’s nothing wrong for me to look for something else [a new club] when I think I needed it and the club needed it and it was good for everyone.”
