Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, discussed his version of Lionel Messi’s departure to Inter Miami.
After 17 seasons at Barcelona and two seasons at PSG, Lionel Messi opted for a move to MLS with Inter Miami. A surprising choice for Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, as a return of Messi to Barça was possible. The club had managed to reach an agreement with LaLiga that would have allowed Messi to return. However, despite this possibility, the Argentine ultimately chose a transfer to Inter Miami, which disappointed Barcelona fans and President Laporta.
« We identify Messi with FC Barcelona. That’s the way most supporters see Messi, because the majority of his career was at Barça, » he told ESPN. « It was very close, » Laporta added. « In the end, we had reached an agreement with La Liga, which allowed us to register his return. »
The Barcelona president claims that Jorge Horacio Messi, Leo’s father, justified this choice: « Leo was coming from a situation with Paris, where he had a lot of pressure. His father told me he needed a place where he wouldn’t be under pressure, and that at Barça, it wouldn’t be the case with all that the return of our hero would entail. »