Barcelona confirmed its understanding of the decision of former Argentine star Lionel Messi not to return to the Catalan club and move to Inter Miami.
Barcelona said – in a statement through its official website on Wednesday evening – that "on the fifth of June, Jorge Messi – Lionel's father and agent – told Barcelona President Juan Laporta of Lionel's decision to move to Inter Miami ... This is despite Barcelona making an offer in light of the desire of the club and Lionel Messi for the player to wear the team's shirt again."
The statement added that "Laporta understood the matter and respected Messi's decision to want to compete in a competition with lower requirements, away from the spotlight and the pressure he was subjected to over the past years."
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"Laporta and Jorge Messi have agreed to work together to promote a decent tribute ceremony by Barcelona fans to the player who was, is and will continue to be loved by Barcelona," the statement said.
Messi had announced his move to Inter Miami in an interview with the newspapers "Mundo Deportivo" and "Sport" Spanish on Wednesday.
Messi said: "I made the decision, I'm going to Miami. I didn't finish it 100 per cent, I missed some things, but we decided to move on."
Messi has also been linked with a return to his former club Barcelona, but stressed that things did not go well, and that he will go to America for a new challenge.
On his contacts with president Juan Laporta and coach Xavi Hernández, he explained that "I actually spoke with Laporta a little, once or twice at most, but I had a lot of contacts with Xavi, since he arrived at the club, we also talked about the possibility of my return, we were very excited, because when something came up, we were discussing it, whether it would be good for the team and for him, and we were always in touch."
🚨 Así nos decía Messi que se marcha al #InterMiamiCF
📲 https://t.co/GhXotuwzAC pic.twitter.com/tPJxba5pa0
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) June 7, 2023
"I also think there are people who don't want me back, just like at the time they didn't want me to stay when I had to leave, like many people I know who want me to come back and have expressed their wish and made it public, there are definitely people on the board who don't like me to come back, and they think that my return is not good for the club," he explained.
"If things don't go well with Barcelona, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family," Messi explained.
"I really wanted and was excited to return to Barcelona, but after what I went through before when I left the club, I didn't want to go through the same situation again, and leave my fate and my future in the hands of others."
"I heard that they have to sell players and reduce the wages of others, and I really didn't want that to happen, or to take responsibility for something like this," Messi said.
Messi revealed that his heart was pushing him to return to the stadium "Camp Nou", but he feared that the move would cause more crises as happened last time, explaining, "I wanted to look for something else and a little mental comfort."
¿Que te parece el fichaje de Messi por el @InterMiamiCF? pic.twitter.com/SZ4hqVkBRF
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) June 8, 2023
"I had offers from other European clubs, but I didn't want to discuss that, because my mind was about going to Barcelona. If things didn't go well with Barcelona, after analysing the situation, I decided to leave European football, after winning the World Cup, which I needed to finish my career."
"I want to go and live in the United States differently and enjoy more everyday life with the same responsibility as me to win, do things well, with more peace of mind," the Argentine star explained.
Although he has not returned to Barcelona as a player, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi plans to return to the city with his family: "Of course I would love to be close to the club in the future, and what's more is that I will live in Barcelona, it's obvious to my family, my wife and my children."
"I hope – I don't know when but one day – I hope to be able to contribute something to the club and help, because it's the club I love as I always say. I appreciate the love people have loved me throughout my career, and I love being here again."