The six-time Ballon d’Or winner had pushed for a move away from Camp Nou in the last window, but is now looking to impress for club and country
Lionel Messi has become more of a leader for club and country on the back of a “chaotic” summer for the Argentine superstar at Barcelona, says fellow countryman Juan Pablo Sorin.
The six-time Ballon d’Or was left mulling over his options at the end of a coronavirus-disrupted 2019-20 campaign.
With Barca stumbling over the line as they surrendered the Liga title to arch-rivals Real Madrid and suffered a crushing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the decision was taken to make a change.
Messi informed the club of his desire to move on and saw the likes of Manchester City and Inter take an immediate interest in securing his signature.
The deadline was to pass, though, with no deal done. With Barca blocking his path, Messi revealed to Goal that he will be honouring the final year of his contract and sticking around until at least 2021.
He has not been at his free-flowing best domestically since making that decision, with many of his goals coming from the penalty spot, but he remains a talismanic presence for Barca and Argentina. Continue reading