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The “megaton bomb” of his departure Lionel messi from the Barcelona got an extension of what it looks like for next summer, with Argentina announcing your stay at the club for what not go to court against the club of your heart.
The player-symbol of 33 years of Blaugrana made his decision known through a exclusive interview recorded on the Goal website And then you can read in detail what he said about the reasons that remain and the serial of the last weeks:
-Why did it take you so long to “break” your silence?
«First, because after the defeat in Lisbon it was very difficult. We knew that Bayern were a very difficult opponent, but we did not know that we would have such an outcome, giving such a poor image of the city and the Barcelona club. We gave a terribly bad image. It was wrong, I didn’t feel like doing anything. I wanted to let time pass and then go ahead and clear everything up».
-Why did you tell Barcelona that you can go?
«I told the club, including the president, that I wanted to leave. I told him all year. I thought it was time to take this step. I believed that the club needed more young players, new players and I thought my time in Barcelona was over. I was very sad because I always said that I wanted to finish my degree here. It was a very difficult year, I suffered a lot in training, games and changing rooms. Everything became difficult for me and the moment came when I thought about seeking new ambitions. It had nothing to do with Bayern’s result in the Champions League, no. I have been thinking about this decision for a long time. I told the president and he always told me that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to leave or if I wanted to stay and he finally broke his word.».
-Have you ever felt lonely?
«No… I didn’t feel alone. Not only. There are always those people who have always been by my side. That is enough for me and it strengthens me. But I really felt hurt by the things that I heard from people, from journalists, from people who questioned my commitment to Barcelona and said things that I thought I didn’t deserve. It also helped me see the truth in people. The world of football is very difficult and there are a lot of fake people. This incident helped me distinguish many of them. It hurts when they doubt my love for the club. Whether I go or stay, my love for Barcelona will never change».
-Everything was heard. The financial factor, your friends. What hurts you the most after almost 20 years defending the Barcelona shirt?
«A little of everything, my friends, money… many things that have been said have hurt me. I always put the club above everything. I had the opportunity to leave Barcelona many times. The money; Every year I could have gone and made more money than in Barcelona. I always said that this is my home and it is what I felt and still feel. Deciding that there is a better place than here was very difficult. I felt like I needed a change, new goals, new things.».
–In the end, it is very difficult to leave 20 years, a whole life, a family like the one you have in Barcelona, the city and all this weighs even more when you go to make such a decision. Because I understand that you will eventually stay in Barcelona. Are you still in Barcelona …
«Of course, I had a hard time thinking about this decision. It does not come from the result with Bayern, it has to do with many things. I always said that I wanted to finish my degree here, to stay here forever. That he wanted a project oriented to victory and titles, to continue expanding the Barcelona legend to the highest level. And the truth is that there has not been such a project for a long time, they are indifferent and only cover gaps with the passage of time. As I said before, I always thought of the good of my family and the club.».
-What happened when you told your family that you wanted to leave Barcelona?
«When I communicated my wish to my wife and children, it was a drama. The whole family began to cry, my children did not want to leave Barcelona or change schools. I worked it more in my mind and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, win the Champions League. You can win, or you can lose, because it’s a very difficult goal, but you have to claim it at least and not collapse like in Rome, Liverpool, Lisbon. All of this made me think about the decision I have to make. Like I said I believed and was sure that I was free to go the president always said that at the end of the season I would decide if I wanted to stay or not. Now they insist that I did not declare it before June 10, while at that time we were still playing in La Liga in the midst of the terrible coronavirus and the pandemic that changed the entire season. And that’s why I will continue in the team. I will continue because the president told me that the only way to leave is for someone to pay the 700 million euro clause, which is impossible. There was another way and it was to go to court. However, I would never go to the court against Barcelona, because it is the team that I love that gave me everything and I gave it back. I know for a fact that such a thing never crossed my mind».
-Is it what hurts you the most, that there are people who believe that you are hurting Barcelona? Defend the club for years. Did it bother you that they questioned your devotion?
«It hurts me a lot that things are published against me and especially all the lies. Or that they came to think that I would take legal action against Barça for my own benefit. I would never do that. I repeat, I wanted to leave and it was completely my right because my contract said that I would be free. And it does not mean that “I’m going and that’s it.” I would leave and it would cost me a lot. I wanted to leave because I imagined my last years in football to live happily. Lately I haven’t found joy in the club».
-It is important to be happy. You are a born winner. You are in a team that is fighting for titles and in recent seasons Barcelona did not respond in Europe. You will continue to lead the team. But something has to change in Barcelona, right? Something has to change on a competitive level, right?
«I will continue in Barcelona and my behavior is not going to change no matter how much I want to leave. I’ll do my best. I always want to win, I am competitive and I don’t like to lose anything. I always want the best for the club, for the dressing rooms and for myself. I said at the right time that we did not have the support we needed to win the Champions League. In fact, I don’t know what will happen next. There is a new coach and new ideas. That’s good, but we have to see how the team is going to respond and if it makes us competitive at the highest level again. All I can say is that I live and will do my best for Barcelona».
-What was the first thing you thought when people said that you could go and that they weren’t interested in Barcelona at all? What went through your mind first? A feeling of anger?
«I felt so much pain that my devotion to Barcelona was criticized, knowing how grateful I am to this club. I love Barcelona and I won’t find it nowhere better than here. Even so, owning one is still out of reach for the average person. I wanted to seek new goals and new challenges. And I could come back tomorrow, because I have everything in Barcelona. My children, my family, he grew up here, he comes from here. There was nothing wrong with wanting to leave. He needed it, the club needed it too and it would be good for everyone.».
-Family is something very important in your life. Your father went through bad times, your wife also, your children. What did they ask of you? What did they tell you; They should have told you “this dad, that dad.” Did they watch the news on TV and ask you for something specific?
«All this time it has been difficult for each of us. He was clear about what he wanted, he had said what he felt he wanted. My wife, with all the pain in her soul, supported me and accompanied me».
-But the important member of the family is Mateo.
«Yes, Mateo is still young and has not yet realized what it means to move to another place and spend his life in another place for a few years. Thiago, yes, he is older. He heard something on television, understood and asked me. I didn’t want him to know anything about how I forced him to leave, how he should go to a new school or make new friends. He cried in front of me and said “don’t go”, I repeat that it was hard, honestly. But I understand him. It happened to me too. It was very difficult to make that decision».
-And anyone. Of course, it is 20 years, a lifetime. You came to Barcelona at the age your children are now. This is even more difficult. There are two basic elements that people want to know about. You stay in Barcelona, you lead the team again. Is it an optimistic message for friends in Barcelona with a background in the future?
«As always, I will give my all, give my best and fight for all our goals, hoping to dedicate myself to the world that went through difficult times. I went through rough times of the year, but it’s hypocritical to say that compared to people who really had a hard time with the coronavirus, people who lost family members, and so many other things. I hope to do my best and dedicate our victories to all the people who accompany us with their families, to those who are having a hard time and to overcome this virus once and for all so that we can return to normalcy.».
– Let’s go to the famous burofax. There has been a lot of talk that Messi received bad advice and especially of asking to leave via burofax. Why did you choose to send this burofax? What did you want to try? What was your position?
«Burofax was just to formalize the issue in some way. Throughout the year I told the president that I wanted to leave, that the time had come to seek new goals and new directions in my career. He kept telling me: “We will talk, not now”, one, the other, but nothing. The president didn’t give me the slightest idea what he really meant. By sending this burofax I make it official that I wanted to leave and that I would be free, that I do not want to activate the extra year in my contract and that I want to leave. It was not intended to create chaos, or go against the club, but to formalize the decision that had already been made».
“So if you hadn’t sent this burofax, maybe everything would have been forgotten and no one would have heard of you?”
«Clearly. If I had not sent this burofax it would be as if nothing had happened, I have extra time and it would continue like this all year. What they say is that I did not say that I wanted to leave before June 10, but I repeat, we were in the middle of all the events and it was not the right time. However, apart from that, the president always told me “when the season is over you are going to decide if you stay or go”, he never set a date and thus, it was only so that the club knew that he did not comply. for that, but not to get into a conflict because I didn’t want that to happen with the club».
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