Less than two weeks after Lionel Messi made headlines by declaring that he no longer wanted to play for Barcelona, the international soccer legend has decided to stay put.

Messi’s decision came in light of Barcelona refusing to let him out of his contract, which runs until 2021. The Argentine believed he exercised a clause in his deal that should allow him to head elsewhere at the end of the Champions League season.

“There was another way and it was to go to trial,” Messi told Goal.com. “I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.

“It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.”

Messi has been with Barcelona for 20 years. There had been reports of a falling out between Messi and the club. The 33-year-old says Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu failed to deliver on a promise that he could leave after this season.

“I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not,” Messi said.

“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.”

Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father and agent, said Friday that his son’s 700 million-euro release-clause ($830 million) was not valid.

Manchester City had been considered a destination for Messi had he moved on from Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi has put an end to his standoff with Barcelona, for now
Lionel Messi has put an end to his standoff with Barcelona, for now AFP / LLUIS GENE
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