Lionel Messi has officially announced his decision to stay at Barcelona and see the remaining season of his contract out.
The Argentine superstar had a clause in his contract enabling him to leave on a free transfer each summer should he wish to do so, and he had informed Barcelona he had chosen to exercise the option now.
However, Barcelona maintained the stance that the clause had expired as far as the summer of 2020 was concerned and were unwilling to grant his request unless the release clause of €700 million was met. Messi and his father, who is also his representative, had believed the leave-for-free clause was still valid due to the 2019/20 season finishing later than originally planned, but La Liga sided with the club.
Speaking exclusively to Goal.com, the 33-year-old revealed that his decision to leave had caused quite a drama in his family, with his wife and children unwilling to leave Barcelona. In the end, his reluctance to take the club he ‘loves’ to court was the final nail in the coffin of his desire to change his surroundings and the colours of the shirt he wears on a football pitch.
It’s definitely good news for Barcelona and La Liga, but bad for every other club that had harbored any hope of signing him this summer.
