Lionel Messi makes shock PSG admission over Barcelona exit | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has opened up on his departure from Barcelona and 2021 free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi left Catalonia in dramatic circumstances after failing to agree terms to extend his contract at the club.

Following weeks of talks, a resolution could not be reached due to Barcelona’s financial issues, and an emotional Messi bid farewell to the club of his life.

His time in Paris featured two Ligue 1 title wins as part of an all-star attack with Kylian Mbappe and former La Blaugrana teammate Neymar Junior.

However, it saw a dip in his personal level, with his best moments saved for some sensational games with Argentina.

Messi finally won his first-ever FIFA World Cup. either side of two Copa America titles, but he look a shadow of himself in Paris.

After opting against a contract extension in the French capital at the end of the 2023/24 season, Messi joined MLS side Inter Miami in July 2024.

Image via CNN / Getty Images

Messi has previously hinted at struggling to show his best version in Paris, and an interview with Apple TV has reopened the point, as he outlined the struggle.

“Coming to play for Inter Miami was a real opportunity and the way things developed in my last year in Paris, although it was a decision I had to make quickly, because I had to leave Barcelona, I went through two years which I didn’t enjoy,” he said.

“I wasn’t happy on a daily basis, with the training and also in the matches. I had a hard time adapting to all that. I felt called to come to Inter Miami because it’s a club that’s growing, it’s very new, with just a few years as a club.”

Messi has already opened his account for the 2025 MLS season with a goal in both of Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup games against Kansas City.