FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has again spoken on whether he wanted to move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and also pointed out how he was the only one of Argentina’s stars that didn’t receive a homage for winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup during an interview with comedian Migue Granados for Olga.
In his first press conference at new club Inter Miami, Messi confessed that his free transfer departure from Barca to Paris when the Catalans failed to navigate Financial Fair Play limits “was not something I wanted”.
“I did not want to leave and it happened from one day to the next, it also took a while for me to quickly get used to a totally different place both in the city and in sports and made difficult,” Messi further revealed.
In a sit-down chat streamed on YouTube, Granados asked Messi if he would have chosen not to go PSG if he had the opportunity.
This time round, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner conceded that the ordeal was not as he imagined after previously believing he was about to sign a new contract with the Blaugrana.
“It happened like that. The truth is that it wasn’t as I expected, but I always say that things happen for a reason,” Messi said.
“And although I wasn’t doing well [at PSG], I had to be world champion there. Everything happens for a reason. It had to be like that.”
As for Kylian Mbappe, who was on the losing side of what many dubbed the greatest World Cup final of all time for France despite scoring a hat trick, Messi said “the truth is that I like him.”
“Afterwards it was understandable [that PSG fans booed him]: we were in the country [of who we] won the final [against] and it was ‘our fault’ that they had not been world champions again.
“I was the only player who had no recognition [from his club] apart from the other 25 players,” Messi also highlighted.
Regarding the next World Cup, which will be jointly-held by the country where he now plies his trade, the United States, Messi insists that he isn’t thinking about it yet because it’s “far away”.
“I do think about the Copa America, I want to arrive well. It’s played here in the United States [and] it’s going to be nice,” Messi said, adding that he enjoyed the Centenario edition of the South American tournament also held on American soil in 2016, despite Argentina losing a penalty shootout to winners Chile in the final.
