The transfer of the century will not take place.
Lionel Messi put an end to the suspense surrounding his possible departure from Barca in an interview with Goal on Friday.
"What I can say is that I stay and that I will give my best for Barcelona," explains the Argentine in particular.
“I told the club, including the president, that I wanted to leave.
I've been telling him that all year long.
I thought it was time to retire.
I believed the club needed more young players, new players and I thought my time at Barcelona was over, he explains in this interview.
It was a very difficult year, I suffered a lot in training, in matches and in the locker room.
"
If he says his club "gave a very bad image" with the 8-2 inflicted by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in August, his desire to leave comes from the fact that there has "not had a project or anything for a long time" within the Catalan club.
The latter, in addition to the European humiliation received by the Bavarians, was preceded by Real Madrid in the race for La Liga this year.
"I will never go to court against Barça"
"You can win or lose, because it's very difficult, but you have to compete," said the five-time Ballon d'Or.
To be at least competitive and not to collapse like in Rome, Liverpool or Lisbon (Editor's note: against Bayern).
All of this led me to think about this decision that I wanted to implement.
"
But if his father reaffirmed on Friday that his son could go free during this transfer window, that is not the opinion of Barça and La Liga.
The latter are clinging to a clause in the contract that would require him to pay 700 million euros to leave Catalonia.
"Now I will continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700 million euros clause and that this is impossible, slips Lionel Messi.
There was another way and that was to go to trial.
I will never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which has given me everything since I arrived, it is the club of my life, I made my life here.
Barça gave me everything and I gave him everything.
I know it never occurred to me to sue Barca.
"