Lionel Messi has 2 important clauses that would excite Barcelona fans in his contract with Inter Miami: Reports
Lionel Messi recently announced that he won't be returning to Barcelona in the summer. The Argentine will pursue the next chapter of his career at the MLS club Inter Miami.
Messi has penned two and half a year deal with the Miami club, with an option to extend the deal for a further year (via ESPN). However, according to TyC Sport, he has two release clauses in his contract.
The report claims that those clauses can be activated during the first two years of his stay at the MLS. In this way, Messi's future will remain in his own hand and he can terminate his Inter Miami contract.
Messi said about him not returning to the Catalan club (via SPORT):
"I really wanted to come back, I was really looking forward to it. But, on the other hand, after having lived through what I lived through, after the exit I had... I didn't want to go through the same situation again and have to wait to see what was going to happen. I didn't want to leave my future in the hands of others. Somehow, I wanted to make my own decision for myself, for my family."
He added:
"Even though I heard that they said that the league had accepted everything and that everything was OK for me to come back... there were still a lot of other things missing. I heard that they had to sell players or lower the salaries of players and the truth is that I didn't want to go through that, nor be responsible or have anything to do with all that."
These release clauses will give Barcelona fans hope despite their dream of Lionel Messi returning getting tarnished.
A glance at Lionel Messi's Barcelona career
Lionel Messi had a legendary stint at Barcelona and is considered the Blaugrana's greatest-ever player. Before leaving the club in 2021, Messi scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 matches for the club.
The Argentine won 34 trophies with Barcelona, winning four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga trophies, seven Copa del Reys, and more in Spain. It was an extraordinary spell from the little magician.
Lionel Messi joined PSG in the summer of 2021 as Barcelona were unable to renew his contract due to La Liga's wage cap rules. While it was a difficult goodbye, fans expected the player to be back in the club at some point in time. That, however, won't be the case as Lionel Messi will be joining Inter Miami.