Lionel Messi appears to turn back at Barcelona after being admitted to Liverpool

Before the start of the season, Lionel Messi was in the midst of an increasingly bitter fight with Barcelona for his future.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner had decided his time in Spain was over and he wanted to leave the club he had represented since the age of 12.

Messi’s troubles at Barcelona are due to their shock defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-final.

He saw the defeat as the catalyst for a number of problems at the club in which Barcelona began to lose La Liga and Europe victories.

Speaking in July 2020, Messi said: “I said some time ago that if we continued like this it would be very difficult for us to win the Champions League.

It’s been a hectic season so far – so make sure you don’t miss a thing by signing up for the new Mirror Football newsletter!

All the latest transfer news and big stories will arrive straight to your inbox. You won’t miss a thing.

To subscribe, put your email at the top of this article or follow the instructions at this link.

“We couldn’t even win La Liga. If we don’t react, we won’t beat Napoli.

“I’m sure the fans are lacking in patience because, playing like we did, and after Roma and Liverpool [where they lost big leads], we don’t give them anything. ”

“We weren’t expecting that. We didn’t want to end La Liga by playing like this, but it kind of reflects how this year has unfolded.”

Messi has also found himself at odds with the tactics of former Barcelona boss Quique Setien and is said to have even spoken to the manager about his concerns.

Messi is said to have urged Setien to listen to the more experienced players in the dressing room, as he was not the only one who felt the Spaniard’s tactics were not up to par.

Setien reportedly replied to Messi: “If you don’t like what I said, you know where the door is,” causing the Argentinian to laugh.

Setien was eventually sacked by Barcelona, ​​after a poor season in which they were beaten 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and lost La Liga to Real Madrid.

Barcelona, ​​meanwhile, announced that Messi sent the club a document expressing his desire to leave in August.

The Catalan giants have no intention of losing their precious asset and have made it clear to any interested club that Messi has an active £ 600million buyout clause in his contract.

Messi’s father and agent Jorge released a statement claiming that the release clause “is not valid when termination of the contract is by unilateral decision of the player from the end of the 2019-20 season. “.

La Liga rejected this claim and released a statement saying the clause was active.

Messi had the option to sue Barcelona but has decided to stay at the club for the remainder of his contract, which expires at the end of this season.

He said: “I was not happy and wanted to leave. I was in no way allowed to do so and will stay at the club so as not to enter into a legal conflict. The club management led by [Josep] Bartomeu is a disaster. My love for Barça will never change. “

One bright spot for Messi was that Bartomeu and Barcelona’s board stepped down following a vote of no confidence.

It was widely believed that Messi would leave Barcelona for free at the end of the season, but it seems the Argentine has now reversed his decision.

Under Ronald Koeman, Barcelona and, more importantly, Messi, have found a spark.

And Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta is now adamant Messi wants to stay at the club beyond this season.

“Messi is now fully focused on capturing Atletico Madrid in La Liga and drawing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League,” Laporta said.

“I don’t know if he will play on Sunday [in the Supercopa de Espana final] but he will be on the bench and it is important for Leo to encourage his teammates.

“I see him more and more happy, he takes advantage of it.

“I know he wants to stay and I know he will do everything in his power to stay as long as the club can offer him an offer that suits him.”

Messi has vowed not to discuss his plans while the season is still active and will decide his future once and for all at the end of this campaign.

Will Lionel Messi leave Barcelona at the end of the season? Give your opinion here.

* Sign up for the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.