Lionel Messi confirms what he 'really wanted' amid Inter Miami move

Lionel Messi announced Wednesday he intends to complete an expected move to Major League Soccer and Inter Miami this summer but also confirmed his heart still belongs to Barcelona. 

According to world football transfer insider Fabrizio Romano and also ESPN and Sky Sports News, Messi explained during an interview with Spanish outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport that he "really wanted to return to" Barcelona but "did not want to be in the same situation" he found himself in two years ago. 

Messi became a free agent after the 2020-21 season and ultimately couldn't re-sign with Barcelona due to what were referred to as "financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations)." Spanish football writer Guillem Balague recently insisted on multiple occasions similar financial issues would prevent Barcelona from signing Messi upon the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract at the end of this month, and it seems the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner read the writing on the wall. 

"I heard that they had to sell players or lower players' salaries and the truth is that I didn't want to go through that, nor take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that," Messi said about missing out on a Barcelona homecoming. "...I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami. I still haven't closed it one hundred percent. I'm missing some things but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn't work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more for my family."