In an interview with Diario Sport, superstar Lionel Messi said that he would join Inter Miami club, although he really wanted to return to Barca.
"I'm going to Inter Miami," Messi said first in the 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 6. I don't want to put my future in someone else's hands."
Lionel Messi in an interview with Diario Sport on June 7, 6. Image: Screen capture
Messi left Barca in the summer of 2021 after the end of his contract with the team. President at that time Josep Maria Bartomeu decided not to renew with Messi due to the team's financial crisis. The Argentine superstar had to announce his farewell to the team in a press conference, and he cried. Messi says he doesn't want to suffer like that anymore, but still regrets not being able to return. He said he had received an offer from Barca, but this team did not send an official document.
Messi also said frankly that there are people in the Barca leadership who do not want him back. "I don't know if Barca tried hard to bring me back," he said. “I just heard from Xavi. But I'm sure there are people at Barca who don't want me back
Another reason why Messi does not wait for Barca is that he avoids unnecessary reputation. "I don't want people to think that Barca have to sell or reduce players' salaries so that I can come back," he said. "I've been exposed to absurd scandals many times in my career, and I'm tired of that sort of thing."
Despite accepting to join Miami, Messi has not given up his desire to retire at Barca. "I want to have a memorable farewell like Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta or Xavi have received, because I deserve it," the 36-year-old striker said. "I was seen as the villain in the movie, and couldn't say goodbye to the fans."
Inter Miami announces Messi
Messi also said that he received many good offers from Europe and Saudi Arabia, but refused. "I didn't even wonder about 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 for me to sign."
For the past two years, Messi has played for PSG and helped the team win Ligue 1 twice in a row. But his time in Paris was not considered a success, as the team all stopped in the 1/8 round of the Champions League. Messi also assessed the past two years as "difficult" for him overall. "The first year was really difficult for me for many reasons," he added. “For the first six months of the second season, I felt very comfortable and was hoping it would end differently. Anyway, the team still supports me."
Finally, Messi said that in the immediate future he will spend time on vacation with his family, and then prepare for Argentina's two friendlies against Australia on June 15 and Indonesia on June 6. His first game for Inter Miami will most likely take place in July 19.
Messi scored 16 goals, assisted 16 times in 32 matches in Ligue 1 in the 2022-2023 season. Since PSG was knocked out by Bayern in the 1/8 Champions League round, he has been booed by the home crowd many times on the field. Messi was also disciplined by PSG for one match because he accepted to go to Saudi Arabia against the team's regulations.
Messi and PSG could not find a common voice to renew, 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 largest contract in MLS history.
Inter Miami founded 5 years ago, started playing in the MLS in 2020, is at the bottom of the 15 teams in the Eastern US region. The chairman of the team is the famous player David Beckham - also one of the major shareholders of Inter Miami.
Hoang An
