Barcelona fans breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after Lionel Messi ended weeks of speculation by announcing he had decided, with reluctance, to stay at the club. Messi, who made a shock announcement that he wanted to leave his lifelong club last month, said he would see out his contract until 2021 in order to avoid taking Barca to court.
“I wasn’t happy and I wanted to leave. I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster,” Messi said during an interview with Goal.com.
“When I communicated this to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama,” he said. “The whole family crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools. Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700 million clause, that this is impossible. I love Barcelona and I’m not going to find a better place than here anywhere. Still, I have the right to decide. I was going to look for new goals and new challenges. And tomorrow I could go back because here in Barcelona I have everything.” He further added.
Lionel Messi ended two weeks of speculation when he on Friday said that he would be staying at Camp Nou for the upcoming season to avoid going into a legal battle. His kids who started crying on hearing he is contemplating leaving the Catalans were another reason that may have prompted the Argentine’s decision. But his call to remain at Camp Nou has been celebrated by his fans.
