Messi: 'I didn't come to Inter Miami for money'

In an interview with Diario Sport, superstar Lionel Messi said he will join Inter Miami, even though he himself really wants to return to Barca.

"I'm going to Inter Miami," Messi said in his first interview on the evening of June 7. "I really want to return to Barca, but I also don't want to be in the same situation as when I left in the summer of 2021. I don't want to put my future in the hands of others."

Lionel Messi in an interview with Diario Sport on June 7, 2023. Photo: screenshot — Lionel Messi in an interview with Diario Sport on June 7, 2023. Photo: *screenshot*

Messi left Barca in the summer of 2021 after his contract with the club expired. The then president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, decided not to renew Messi's contract due to the club's financial crisis. The Argentine superstar had to announce his departure from the club at a press conference, and he cried. Messi said he did not want to suffer like that anymore, but still regretted not being able to return. He said he had received an offer from Barca, but the club did not send an official letter.

Messi also said that there were people in the Barca board who did not want him back . "I do not know if Barca tried hard to bring me back," he said. "I only heard from Xavi. But I am sure there are people in Barca who do not want me back.

Another reason Messi isn't waiting for Barca is to avoid unnecessary gossip. "I don't want people to think that Barca has to sell players or reduce their salaries so that I can return," he said. "I've had a lot of unnecessary gossip in my career, and I'm tired of it."

Despite agreeing to join Miami, Messi has not given up on his desire to retire at Barca. "I want to have a memorable farewell like Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta or Xavi received, because I deserve it," the 36-year-old striker said. "I was treated like a villain in a movie, and I couldn't say goodbye to the fans."

Messi also said he received many lucrative offers from Europe and Saudi Arabia, but refused them all . "I didn't even consider the offers from Europe, because if I stayed there I could only choose Barca," he said. "If it was a matter of money, I would have chosen to go to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else, and I would have received a lot of money. I didn't even negotiate the details of the contract with Barca, but they didn't send me an official document to sign."

Messi has played for PSG for the past two years, helping them win back-to-back Ligue 1 titles. But his time in Paris has not been considered a success, as the team have both failed to make it out of the Champions League round of 16. Messi has also described the past two years as "difficult" for him overall. "The first year was really difficult for me for many reasons," he added. "In the first six months of the second season, I felt very comfortable and I hoped things would end differently. However, the team has always supported me."

Finally, Messi said that he will spend time on vacation with his family first, then prepare for Argentina's two friendly matches against Australia on June 15 and Indonesia on June 19. His first match for Inter Miami will likely take place in July 2023.

Messi scored 16 goals and assisted 16 times in 32 Ligue 1 matches in the 2022-2023 season. Since PSG was eliminated by Bayern in the Champions League round of 16, he has been booed many times by the home crowd. Messi was also disciplined by PSG for accepting a trip to Saudi Arabia against the team's regulations.

Messi and PSG could not find common ground to extend his contract, so he became a free agent after his contract with the team expired. Also on the evening of June 7, Inter Miami announced the recruitment of Messi, creating the biggest contract in MLS history.

Inter Miami was founded 5 years ago, started playing in MLS in 2020, currently ranked last among 15 teams in the Eastern region of the US. The team's president is famous footballer David Beckham - also one of the major shareholders of Inter Miami.

Hoang An

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