Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has admitted he was left “hurt” by comments made by Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
The Argentine left Barcelona for PSG in the summer in a shock move, and he’s now revealed in an interview with Sport that he didn’t like the way Laporta handled the situation.
Messi insists he agreed to a 50% pay cut to stay at Barca, and that he was prepared to go even further than that, only for Laporta to decide against keeping him.
The 34-year-old has now suggested that Laporta may even have expected him to play for the club for free to aid them through their financial struggles.
“No one from Barcelona asked me to play for free, I got a cut of over 50% and I was willing to help the club even more. President Joan Laporta’s words hurt me – I did not deserve it,” he told Sport.
Barcelona have clearly handled this situation poorly, but it seems Messi still looks out for his former club.
The South American forward also clearly felt at home in the Catalan city as he says he and his family plan to move back there one day.