Lionel Messi has opened up about his shock exit from Barcelona in 2021 by admitting he ‘wasn’t prepared’ to leave the club.
Lionel Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after the club was unable to offer him a new contract. The Argentine legend left the Nou Camp after 21 years. He scored 672 goals in 778 appearances after making his senior debut in 2003.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract but struggled in his first season in the French league. He scored 32 goals in 75 matches and won two league titles with PSG, before joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Messi told the Big Time podcast: “The change was difficult when I went to PSG, because I was doing very well in Barcelona and I planned to stay there. I was not prepared to leave, everything happened very quickly, I had to rebuild my life from one day to the next. I got to know another league, another club, a new locker room. It was a change that we were not looking for and that is why it was difficult at first.”
The eighth-time Ballon d’Or winner also discussed his early years in Europe after leaving Argentina at age 13.
“For me it was difficult when I arrived in Barcelona. I was a child and I had to adapt to new friends, new country, new city, new people, new school. It was difficult for me at first, but I thought I was doing what I wanted, playing football, in a great team like Barcelona and that made me able to move forward, it was impressive and I enjoyed it a lot. They have always treated me very well in Barcelona, I am grateful to them.”
The 36-year-old Mess has signed a contract until 2025 with Inter Miami.
