Lionel Messi wanted to leave Barcelona before the start of the season.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly was left furious when information about a private meeting between him and Ronald Koeman was leaked.
Messi cut short his summer vacation to meet the Dutchman, with radio station RAC1 later revealing that the Argentinian told Koeman he wants to leave the club.
Messi, 33, was jaded by a number of things, including Josep Maria Bartomeu running the club and Quique Setien’s tactics on the field.
Ronaldo, who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his career, spoke out about Messi’s predicament at the time and predicted that he was not going anywhere.
“It is very unlikely that he will be able to leave Barcelona at this point, especially if there is a crisis of results. Messi is a reference for the team and if I were Barcelona I would not let him leave in any situation.” Ronaldo.
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“He has a great and strong relationship with the club and I don’t think he will stop being in love with the team.”
Ronaldo was proved right when Barcelona got their feet in and stopped the Argentinian from leaving, even when Messi tried to point out a clause in his contract that meant he could leave the club freely.
Messi had to take the Catalan club to court, but instead decided to postpone the rest of his contract in Spain and reconsider his future at the end of the season.
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Paris Saint-Germain have been very vocal as they were eager to sign Messi at the end of this season, which is still a concern for Barcelona.
But new manager Koeman is a little more confident that the Argentinian will sign an extension in the summer and stay on.
In an interview with The Athletic, Koeman said: “I said to Leo, ‘I’m very happy if you stay. If you don’t stay it’s your decision and it’s what you should do with the club.
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“If you stay, you will be part of the team and this will be your position to get the best out of yourself”. Little by little, he accepted that situation.
“And look at how he’s been playing in the past few weeks, he’s really involved with the club, with the team. But nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future.”
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