• About Us
  • Write For Us
  • Advertising
  • Support
  • Contact Us
September 23, 2023 1:43 pm CDT
Heartland Newsfeed
  • Illinois
    • Local
      • Capital Area
      • East Central Illinois
      • West Central Illinois
    • Regional
      • Chicagoland
      • Metro-East
      • Northern Illinois
      • Quad Cities
      • Southern Illinois
    • Obits
    • Executive Watch
    • Legislative Watch
    • Road Conditions
      • Illinois
    • Weather Closings
      • Central Illinois
  • Missouri
    • Regional
      • Northeastern Missouri
      • East Central Missouri
      • St. Louis Metro
      • Southeast Missouri
    • Executive Watch
    • Legislative Watch
    • Weather Closings
      • Greater STL Metro (IL/MO)
    • Road Conditions
      • Missouri
  • Weather
  • National
  • World
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • OPINION
  • Radio
    • Affiliates
    • Network Schedule
    • Network Streams
    • Podcasts
  • Features
    • Business Directory
    • Classifieds
      • Current Ads
      • Job Board
        • Job Listings
        • J2CTalroo
        • Post a Job
        • Receive Alerts
        • ZipSearch
    • Community Calendar
    • Live Video
    • Newsfeeds
    • Puzzles & More
  • Store
  • Deals
  • Calendar
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

Heartland Newsfeed
No Result
View All Result

Messi to remain in Barcelona: ‘It was a tough decision’

United Press International by United Press International
September 4, 2020
in Champions League News, La Liga News, Soccer/Futbol News, Sports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Donate
0

BARCELONA (UPI) — Barcelona star Lionel Messi, widely considered one of the top players in soccer history, said he will remain with the La Liga club after failing to void his contract.

Messi’s decision — announced in a video interview published Friday by Goal.com — comes after days of speculation triggered by the Argentine star’s attempt to rescind his contract Aug. 25. Messi and his representatives believed a clause in his pact should have allowed him to leave Barcelona for free this summer.

Barcelona believes opt-out clause expired

Barcelona believed that clause had expired and could no longer be exercised, sparking a standoff between the two sides. La Liga heavily supported Barca’s position, saying it would not process Messi’s transfer unless his release clause was paid.

“I would never take the club I have played my entire life for to court, and that is why I am staying in Barcelona,” Messi said. “It was a tough decision. I always said I wanted to end my career here and I do.

“… I thought and was sure that I was free to leave. [Barcelona] President [Josep Maria Bartomeu] always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not. Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for La Liga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.

“And this is the reason why I am going to continue in the club. Now I am going to continue in the club because the President told me that the only way to leave was to pay the [about $823 million] clause, which is impossible.”

Messi’s contract was to expire in 2021

The 33-year-old Messi, whose contract expires in 2021, could still decide to backtrack and leave the club, but other teams would have to pay his expensive release clause.

For now, Messi will rejoin his teammates as they try to rebound from a trophy-less 2019-20 season that saw them finish second in La Liga behind Real Madrid. Barcelona also suffered an 8-2 blowout loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.

“It doesn’t come from the Bayern result, it comes from many things,” Messi said about why he initially wanted to leave. “I always said I wanted to end my career here, and I always said I wanted to stay here. I wanted a winning project and to win trophies with the club.

“… The truth is that for a while there hasn’t been a project or anything, they’ve been juggling things and plugging holes as things happen. I’ve always thought about the well-being of my family and the club.”

Messi had interest from several major clubs

Messi reportedly attracted interest from several major clubs, including Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus after speculation emerged about his future. Those teams now must wait until the expiration of his contract next year or pay Messi’s expensive transfer fee.

Messi, a six-time Ballon d’Or winner, made his league debut for Barcelona in 2004. During his time with the club, he has helped Barca win 10 league titles and four Champions League trophies.

Reporting by Connor Grott

United Press International
+ posts

United Press International is an international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the 20th century.

  • United Press International
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/upi/
    Amazon to hire 250,000 workers for holidays
  • United Press International
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/upi/
    14 dead after plane crashes in Amazon
  • United Press International
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/upi/
    Coinbase to lay off more than 900 employees
  • United Press International
    https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/author/upi/
    Samsung announces disappointing 3Q results

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Telegram
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tags: BarcelonaBayern MunichChampions LeagueInter MilanJosep Maria BartomeuJuventusLa LigaLa Liga newsLionel MessiManchester CityParis Saint-GermainReal Madridsports news
Share209Tweet131Share5Send
  • Workforce training center opens in Litchfield

    1416 shares
    Share 566 Tweet 354
  • Missouri Dems critical of proposed tax cut

    926 shares
    Share 370 Tweet 232
  • Missouri law to crack down on porch pirates

    924 shares
    Share 370 Tweet 231
  • No management pay raises in UPS deal

    910 shares
    Share 364 Tweet 228
  • Five things you should know before purchasing auto insurance

    888 shares
    Share 355 Tweet 222

OPERATING HOURS

Online all the time 
Office Hours: 8 AM to 8 PM

Sitemap | Published Press | Privacy Policy
Staff Email | Independent Media | Buy traffic for your website

LIVE WEBSITE VIEWERS

Some rights reserved 2017-2023 by Heartland Newsfeed, a subsidiary partnership by Heartland Internet Media Networks and Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois LLC. Content published by Heartland Newsfeed staff is covered by the BipCot NoGov license. This allows use and re-use by anyone except governments and government agents. License on record. JNews theme designed and developed by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • World
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • Travel

Some rights reserved 2017-2023 by Heartland Newsfeed, a subsidiary partnership by Heartland Internet Media Networks and Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois LLC. Content published by Heartland Newsfeed staff is covered by the BipCot NoGov license. This allows use and re-use by anyone except governments and government agents. License on record. JNews theme designed and developed by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

WP Radio
WP Radio
OFFLINE LIVE
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00
%d bloggers like this: