On Friday night, Lionel Messi ended speculation about his future by announcing that he will stay at Barcelona, just days after expressing desire to leave the club.
But there was so much more to his announcement, done via an interview with football website Goal.
Messi, who has been at the Catalan club for 20 years after he signed as a junior footballer, had become fed up with the club’s board and the way it was run in the last few years. He made sure that his decision to stay did not sweep those issues under the carpet.
Can’t go to war against club of my life: Lionel Messi explains his decision to stay at Barcelona
The Argentine’s frustration reached the tipping point after Barcelona surrendered the La Liga to Real Madrid and were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
However, Barcelona were adamant that Messi could only leave if a club could pay his $833 million release clause and that left him with no choice but to stay put.
There were disputes about a clause in Messi’s contract that would allow him to leave for free at the end of the season, but with the previous season getting extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his clause expired in June when the previous season was still ongoing.
With Messi deciding against entering a legal battle with Barcelona, he announced his decision stay at the club for the upcoming season.
Here’s how social media reacted to a sensational interview:
And as always there was one over-optimistic Arsenal fan:
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