Lionel Messi Admits He Wanted to Quit Barcelona After Being Embroiled With Government of Spain Due to Tax Fraud

Lionel Messi has spent 18 glorious years at Barcelona and has been a witness to the biggest glories of the Catalan Giants. With such a magical career, one would not even think of quitting the club in the wildest of fantasies. But here’s one incident that made him quit Barcelona. This was in 2017 when Lionel Messi’s tax fraud grabbed headlines. The Barcelona forward was given a 21-month long prison sentence as his father Jorge and he were found guilty of defrauding Spain of €4.1 million between 2007 and 2009. His sentence was reduced to a €252,000 fine but this was the time when the six-time Ballon d’Or winner thought that he wanted to leave Barcelona. Lionel Messi Could Have Played Elsewhere but Barcelona: Getafe President Makes Bold Claim About Chance to Sign Both Messi and Pep Guardiola

In an interview, Messi said that he felt mistreated and didn’t want to stay in Spain. He didn’t even have an official offer from any other club. "At that time, with the mess of the treasury, I wanted to leave, not for wanting to leave Barca but wanting to leave Spain," he said. In the interview, the Argentine further explained that it was quite a difficult time for him and his family as they were clueless about what was happening. Thankfully his children were small and they couldn’t understand what was happening.

Towards the end of the chat, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner said that he wishes to end his career at Barcelona because he cherishes the friendship that he has developed over the years. His family is also of the same opinion that Messi should end his career at Camp Nou.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2020 12:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).