The confusion surrounding the future of Lionel Messi has finally been resolved as the Argentine addressed his future, confirming he will stay at Barcelona citing the need to avoid legal issues.
Speaking on Friday, he told Goal: “When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama.
“The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.
“But I looked further afield and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League. You can win or lose in it, because it is very difficult, but you have to compete.
“At least compete for it and let us not fall apart in Rome, Liverpool, Lisbon. All that led me to think about that decision that I wanted to carry out.”
“I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.”
“Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for La Liga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.
“And this is the reason why I am going to continue in the club. 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 (£624m/$823m) clause, and that this is impossible.
“There was another way and it was to go to trial. I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.
“It is the club of my life, I have made my life here. Barca gave me everything and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court.”
The Six-times world player of the year Messi had insisted he could leave on a free transfer while Barcelona, backed by La Liga, argued that the release clause must be paid.
La Liga responded to Jorge Messi’s letter with a statement reaffirming its support for Barcelona’s stance that Messi’s contract was still valid.
The 33-year-old Messi dropped a bombshell last month that he wanted to leave the club and that he could do so on a free transfer.
A further twist in the story that has gripped the sporting world came as Argentina’s TYC Sports reported on their website that Messi had reluctantly agreed to stay with the Spanish club for another year.
Had he been able to make his Barcelona exit, Premier League club Manchester City were favourites to sign him, which would allow Messi to link up with his former Barca coach Pep Guardiola.
Although even the Abu Dhabi-owned club might find a 700 million-euro fee, plus Messi’s huge salary, a deal-breaker.
Messi, who has won more than 30 major trophies with the Spanish club and scored more than 600 goals, earns around one million euros per week.