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‘It was a brutal drama … now I’m going to continue at the club’: Lionel Messi reluctantly confirms that he WILL STAY in Barcelona for now with the superstar finally giving up his fight to move to Manchester City in a stunning U-turn
- Lionel Messi confirmed that he will remain at Barcelona despite his transfer request
- The superstar has given up on an impressive move to Manchester City this summer
- The 33-year-old hinted that avoiding a court battle was his main reason for staying
- His father Jorge had reiterated that his denounced termination clause does not exist
- The statement also pointed to LaLiga for trying to block a signing to England
Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will remain at Barcelona against his wishes and hinted that his desire to avoid a court battle was the main reason behind the decision.
The superstar’s big U-turn was officially announced Friday night, though Messi has once again doubled down on his criticism of the board and President Josep Bartomeu.
The 33-year-old club captain announced that he is finally abandoning attempts at a sensational move to Manchester City this summer in a recorded interview despite initially demanding to leave.
Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will remain at Barcelona due to his desire to avoid a legal battle
The superstar’s 180-degree turn was officially announced in an interview Friday night.
Messi’s desire to avoid a legal battle with the club is the main reason for his decision
Messi told Goal in an explosive confession: ‘When I communicated my wish to go to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama.
“The whole family began to cry, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.
‘But I looked further and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League. You can win or lose in it, because it is very difficult, but you have to compete.
“At least compete for it and we don’t fall apart in Rome, Liverpool, Lisbon. All that made me think about that decision I wanted to make. ‘
Messi told the club that he wanted to leave last month after tiring of the club’s leadership
Jorge Messi had refuted Barça’s claims that his son has a buyout clause of € 700 million in his deal
He had also criticized LaLiga for getting involved in the saga and insisting that a fee must be paid.
The talisman also revealed that he had never considered taking his childhood club to court to free himself from his deal.
And he added: ‘I would never go to the pitch against Barça because it is the club that I love, which has given me everything since I arrived.
‘It is the club of my life, I have made my life here. Barça gave me everything and I gave everything. I know it never crossed my mind to take Barça to court. ‘
Messi seemed ready to continue fighting when his father issued a statement reiterating his claim that he does not have a buyout clause of 700 million euros.
Messi did not hide his desire to leave but Barcelona’s firm stance prevented his departure
His father Jorge issued the statement on Friday that appeared to quote directly from his contract saying: “The termination clause will not apply when the unilateral termination of the contract takes effect after the end of the 2019-20 season.”
The statement also criticized La Liga for stepping into the debate last week and claiming that Barcelona were right to demand 700 million euros from anyone who wanted to sign their captain.
“We do not know which contract they have analyzed,” he said, also condemning their “obvious lack of impartiality” in the matter.
But Messi’s father’s statement appears to have been the last shot before the white flag was raised.
Not having a release clause could have drastically changed things for Manchester City if the Barcelona captain had been prepared to break his contract and let a court decide his transfer fee.
Messi also revealed that his family was shocked and excited by his initial decision to leave.
The League responded immediately by reiterating its position and accusing Messi’s statement of having taken the cited clause of his contract out of context.
The league supported Barcelona’s claim that Messi was under contract for another year and with a release clause of € 700 million, with a statement issued on August 30.
The statement said: “The contract is currently in force and has a termination clause applicable in the event Messi decides to terminate it unilaterally.”
La Liga’s stance also threatened to block his departure, although that would be out of his jurisdiction if Messi moved from Spain to England.
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