Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told ESPN it is a “strange feeling” to see Lionel Messi in an Inter Miami CF shirt, but he wishes the forward the best in MLS.
Messi, 36, left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain two years ago, but the Catalan side attempted to re-sign him earlier this summer when his contract with the French side expired.
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Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal also offered Messi a contract, but the Argentina international opted to join Inter Miami, where he has scored three goals in his first two appearances.
“It’s a strange feeling,” Laporta told ESPN of watching Messi play in the United States. “We identify Messi with Barcelona. That’s the way I think most supporters see Messi, because most of his career has been at Barca.
“But we respect his decision and we wish the best for him. We want the best for our players. He came to Barcelona as a kid, 14-years-old, and he spent 20 years with us. I hope he can be very happy in Miami.”
Messi has already been joined in Miami by former Barca teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, while Luis Suarez has also been linked, although sources have told ESPN the Uruguay striker will remain at Gremio until at least the end of the year.
Laporta said he understood Messi’s decision to take on a new challenge in the U.S., even if Barca had cleared his possible return with LaLiga financially.
“It was very close,” the Barca chief added. “We had to manage our financial fair play situation so we needed time. At the end, we reached an agreement with LaLiga that authorised us to add him to the squad.
