Lionel Messi’s former teammate in the Argentina national team, Carlos Tevez, revealed the reasons for the striker nicknamed La Pulga choosing Inter Miami over Barcelona. Before going to Inter Miami, Messi was actually rumored to be returning to the Spanish club, Barcelona. Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, also had a meeting with Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, on Monday (5/6/2023).
The meeting, which was held at Joan Laporta’s house, was said to have discussed Lionel Messi’s chances of returning to Barcelona. However, Messi ultimately chose to defend Inter Miami rather than return to the club that had made his name, Barcelona.
Carlos Tevez then spoke about Lionel Messi’s decision to prefer Inter Miami to Barcelona after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expired. According to Carlos Tevez, Messi does not want to make Barcelona players’ salaries drop because of his arrival at Camp Nou.
“In my opinion, Leo made the decision (not to Barcelona) because he knew and understood the situation,” Tevez told ESPN. “He (Messi) doesn’t want to return to Barcelona because he doesn’t want his team-mates to lower their wages which makes him look like an even worse person,” he said.
The former Man City player estimates that Lionel Messi’s heart is actually hurt because he cannot return to Barcelona. “It hurts more than anyone that he can’t return to Barcelona, which is his home,” he said. “I think this situation was very unpleasant for Barcelona, Leo chose to play in the United States league,” said the footballer who retired on June 4, 2022.
However, Tevez explained that the 35-year-old striker had made the right decision to anchor in Miami. . “He (Messi) likes Miami, it brings peace to himself and his family,” said the former Man United player. “I think he has chosen correctly. If it wasn’t Barcelona, where he knows he will be the center of attention again, he wouldn’t be playing in Europe. The decision that was made (Lionel Messi) was very good,” said the winner of the Champions League trophy with Man United in the 2007-2008 season.
