"I would have loved more time with him" - Ex-Barcelona star on Lionel Messi's exit from the club in 2021
Former Barcelona defender Sergino Dest has revealed he would have loved to play more games alongside Lionel Messi. The legendary Argentine forward left the Spanish outfit in the summer of 2021 after his contract with the club expired.
Messi is the greatest player in Blaugrana history, coming through the youth ranks before scoring 672 goals and providing 303 assists across 778 games.
Dest, who left the 2023 La Liga Champions this summer lamented the departure of the legendary forward who left one year after his arrival. He told The Athletic:
"I would’ve had an even better relationship with him. I would have loved more time with him. We had built rapport."
Lionel Messi and Sergino Dest shared the pitch for 2,417 minutes at Barcelona and combined for one goal across 37 games. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was forced to leave the club after their season together due to the Catalan giant's well-documented financial problems.
What Lionel Messi said about his Barcelona exit
Lionel Messi revealed that it was difficult for him to adapt to life away from Barcelona following his departure in the summer of 2021. The Argentine superstar spent his whole professional career with Los Cules before he was forced to leave due to their financial constraints.
The legendary forward joined Paris Saint-Germain after he left Camp Nou. But despite linking up with Neymar, his close friend and former Barca teammate, he revealed it was hard adjusting, telling GOAL:
"The change was difficult when I went to PSG because I was doing very well in Barcelona and I planned to stay there. I was not prepared to leave, everything happened very quickly, I had to rebuild my life from one day to the next. I got to know another league, another club, a new locker room. It was a change that we were not looking for and that is why it was difficult at first."
Lionel Messi did not return to Barcelona after his time with PSG came to an end in the summer of 2023. He moved to the MLS where he now plays for Inter Miami. The Argentine remains electric when he takes to the field, helping the Miami-based side to the League Cup in his first season.