"He left Laporta touched" - Barcelona executive speaks up on Lionel Messi's heartbreaking exit in 2021
Barcelona president Joan Laporta's executive has spoken about Lionel Messi's unexpected departure from the club in August 2021. The Argentine legend is considered the greatest Blaugrana legend of all time after representing them from 2004 to 2021.
Messi's final contract at Barcelona ended in 2021. In the months leading up to his departure, it was widely reported that the Argentine legend would renew his contract. However, the Catalan giants couldn't renew his contract owing to LaLiga's Financial Fair Play rules and their reported poor economic condition. Messi was forced to leave his boyhood club as a free agent to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021, before signing for Inter Miami in 2023.
In a recent interview with the media, Joan Laporta's advisor Enric Masip shed light on Lionel Messi's heartbreaking Barcelona exit. He said (via Barca Universal):
"I don’t know the subject in depth. The president said that the club could not be endangered and it is so. Maybe it could have been done better. He left Laporta touched because he was very fond of him."
Lionel Messi won a plethora of trophies at Barca, including four UEFA Champions Leagues (three as per UEFA's site), 10 LaLiga titles, and seven Copas del Rey. He contributed 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 outings for La Blaugrana across competitions in 17 years.
"There was a strange feeling when I left" - When Lionel Messi expressed his desire to return to Barcelona to say goodbye to fans
After his historic eighth Ballon d'Or win in October 2023, Lionel Messi told reporters about a possible return to Barcelona for a tribute match. He said (via Eurosport):
“I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I would love to be able to say goodbye to people in another way. I think there was a strange feeling when I left."
"It’s not good with everything we shared and lived together, and with everything that the club gave and I gave back to the club, I think I deserve to be able to say goodbye to people who I shared so many good and bad moments together during my career. Barcelona is my home, I love the club and the people. If it [tribute game] happens, I would be happy to be there,” Messi added.
Lionel Messi's contract with Inter Miami is set to end in December 2025. It is unlikely for the Argentine to return to Europe again. However, it remains to be seen whether he can return to Barcelona in some capacity in the future.