Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi Getting His Barcelona Farewell

He may not have left on the best of terms, but Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is getting closer to the farewell from his long-time club, Barcelona, that he deserves.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi bids farewell to his long-time club, Barcelona, en route to Paris Saint-Germain.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi bids farewell to his long-time club, Barcelona, en route to Paris Saint-Germain. / Eric Alonso/GettyImages
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Honestly, Lionel Messi Never Wanted to Leave Barcelona

He didn’t request a move and in all likelihood, he would have never left Barcelona.

But Barcelona’s extravagant spending forced the team to make cuts and Messi, fortunately, or unfortunately, he was forced to depart.

The real reason was because Barcelona overspent and ran afoul of La Liga rules on its salary cap.

To get back in the good graces of the league, the team needed to cut expenses and raise funds.

It sold its media arm, but it wasn’t enough… so players had to go.

Reluctantly, Messi was forced to move to Paris Saint-Germain to spend two woeful years in the French capital.

He didn’t underperform… in fact, it was quite the opposite.

But pressure and the fan base took its toll and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner decided it was time to go.

Welcome to Miami, Lionel.

But, the story isn’t done yet.