‘We got authority to add Messi. But…’: Barcelona prez drops chilling details on how move for Argentina star collapsed

Having left Barcelona two years back, Lionel Messi was heavily linked to an emotional return to his childhood club this summer. Proving all those speculations wrong, the Argentina skipper decided to move to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami ahead of next season. While Messi’s move to the United States shocked football fans, for Barcelona president Joan Laporta it was quite a “strange feeling” to see Messi in Inter Miami shirt.

“It’s a strange feeling. We identify Messi with Barcelona. That’s the way I think most supporters see Messi, because most of his career has been at Barca. But we respect his decision and we wish the best for him. We want the best for our players. He came to Barcelona as a kid, 14-years-old, and he spent 20 years with us. I hope he can be very happy in Miami,” Laporta told ESPN.

Barcelona reportedly held talks with Lionel Messi’s camp over the World-Cup winner’s potential summer transfer to the Catalan giants. The La Liga outfit even cleared the financial roadblocks to make way for Messi’s return to the Nou Camp. Ultimately, the move did not take place. Reliving that topsy-turvy phase, Joan Laporta disclosed, “It was very close. We had to manage our financial fair play situation so we needed time. At the end, we reached an agreement with La Liga that authorised us to add him to the squad. But Leo was coming from a situation in Paris where he was under a lot of pressure. His father told me that he needed a place where he won’t be under pressure and at Barca that would not be the case because of the meaning of the return of our hero.”

During his 21-year-long illustrious Barcelona stint (17 years as senior professional), Lionel Messi went on to become arguably the greatest footballer in the world. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner became Barcelona’s record appearance holder and top scorer. Overall, he netted 672 goals in 778 matches for Barcelona. Messi guided them to four Champions League victories and 11 LaLiga titles, along with innumerable other prestigious laurels.

After plying his trade for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the last two seasons, Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami this summer. At Inter Miami, the 36-year-old reunited with his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Messi kicked off his stint in the US with a sublime injury-time goal on his Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul. In his second Inter Miami appearance, Messi registered two goals and an assist.