President of Barcelona Football Club, Joan Laporta has revealed that he wished Lionel Messi played for free at the club. Messi left the Catalans for Paris Saint-Germain during the transfer window.
Joan Laporta
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Sky Sports confirmed the news on its website on Friday, October 8th, 2021. Laporta said Messi wanted to stay back at the club, but the offers they were getting from other clubs kept his camp under pressure.
The Argentine left Barcelona after 21 years because the club did not have the financial capability to renew his contract because of financial fair play in Spain.
There came a time when both parties saw that it would not be possible. There was a disappointment on both sides. He wanted to stay, but they also had a lot of pressure because of the offer they had. I hoped Messi would do a U-turn and he would say he would play for free. I would have liked that and I would have been all for it. It is my understanding La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of Messi's stature to do this.
Both parties have struggled since the departure, Barcelona have not hit the ground since the Argentine left as they are currently eighth on the league table and bottom in their Champions League group.
Meanwhile, Messi also has not found his scoring boots since he joined PSG, scoring just one goal for the Ligue 1 side.
