Argentinian star Lionel Messi disclosed new details regarding his departure from Spanish club Barcelona and his move to Paris Saint-Germain. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper "Sport," Messi confirmed that he "did everything he could to stay at Barcelona." He stated, "Barcelona president Joan Laporta did not directly ask me to play for free, but he asked for a 50% pay cut."
He continued, "I agreed to the pay cut. I was fully prepared to help the club. My wish was to stay at Barcelona." Messi expressed his pain over Laporta's statement when he said he hoped Messi would change his mind and say he would play for free before moving to PSG, stating that comments like this create speculation or lead people to think things he doesn't believe he deserves.
Messi explained his motivations for moving to the French league: "When I decided to join PSG, one reason was their great team and their desire to continue growing as a team and win the Champions League," as reported by Spanish newspaper "Marca."
The Argentinian star also discussed the strikers who support him in games, comparing them: "Luis Suarez is different from Kylian Mbappe; the former is an independent striker, while the latter excels in participating and scoring when there are open spaces in front of him."
Regarding retirement, Messi said, "I don't know what will happen after the next World Cup. I'm not thinking about retirement right now." On the possibility of winning the Ballon d'Or, he clarified: "Winning the Copa America represents the biggest prize for me. Winning the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time would be amazing, but if it doesn't happen, I'm fine with that."
