Lionel Messi confirms stance on possible loan move to Barcelona in January
Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has responded to rumors that he may return to Barcelona on a short-term loan move in the January window. The Argentine was close to joining the Catalan giants in the summer but ultimately chose against the move.
With Inter Miami missing out on Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs after finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference, Messi has no club football commitments until the start of the new season, possibly in February 2024.
As a result, rumors of a possible short-term return to Barcelona have picked up. However, the 2022 World Cup winner has quashed all such reports, announcing that he is not returning to Camp Nou.
“No, no chance. Not at all,” Messi told L'Equipe (via Fabrizio Romano).
The 36-year-old also recently revealed that he had multiple offers from Saudi Arabia and European clubs but chose against accepting them in favor of a move to the United States.
“I had many offers on the table this year… including multiple European clubs and Saudi Arabia. We decided to come to Miami and it is a decision we are happy with, we feel good,” he told journalist Florent Torchut (via Fabrizio Romano).
Nevertheless, Messi has had a decent start to life in Miami. He helped his new club win their first-ever silverware in the Leagues Cup. Overall, he scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 14 matches for Inter Miami across competitions.
Lionel Messi wins 2023 Ballon d'Or, his eighth title
Lionel Messi recently added yet another Ballon d'Or to his kitty, which was the eighth time he won the prestigious individual award.
He left behind the likes of Erling Haaland, who helped Manchester City win the European treble last season, and Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final only to lose out to Messi's Argentina on penalty shoot-out.
With this Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi extended the lead over his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times in his decorated career.
However, now with the duo having left Europe this summer, it is highly unlikely that they will come close to winning the award again in their respective careers.