Messi's brother slams Barcelona and claims he won't return unless Laporta axed

08 February 2023 , 18:08

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Lionel Messi tearfully announced he was leaving Barcelona in August 2021 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Lionel Messi's brother has declared the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will never return to Barcelona so long as Joan Laporta is pulling the strings at Camp Nou.

Matias Messi has accused fans in Catalonia of betraying his sibling during his tearful Barca exit in 2021. Laporta returned to the club as president earlier that year on a mandate of convincing the Argentine legend to stay as his contract ran down.

The Blaugrana supremo was successful in the sense that Messi did indeed decide that he wanted to sign a new deal, but he was ultimately unable to do so due to the financial disarray which engulfed - and continues to engulf - the club. Messi was unable to pen a contract extension without Barca breaching LaLiga rules, and his exit was confirmed in early August 2021.

Matias has pinned the blame for the saga firmly on Laporta, claiming it was the club official who should have left, rather than his brother. In an extraordinary rant during a Twitch stream, he also questioned why Barca fans did not "do a march" to voice their fury at arguably the greatest footballer of all time leaving the club.

While on a live stream with his son, Matias said: "I have a SPORT [Spanish newspaper] clipping stuck in my house that says, 'Messi should return to Barcelona', and I subtitled it, hahahaha, we are not going back to Barcelona, and if we do, we are going to do a good cleaning. Among them, kick out Joan Laporta'.

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"People did not support him [at Barcelona]. People should have gone out to do a march or something, let Laporta leave and Messi stay. The Spanish are traitors. I tell you because I want it to come out of our guts and not listen to things that are not true."

What does the future hold in store for Lionel Messi? Have your say in the comments!

Joan Laporta was unsuccessful in his attempts to keep Lionel Messi (Getty Images)

Messi scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona, helping them win the Champions League four times, among numerous major honours, before joining Paris Saint-Germain after his painful exit. Matias went so far as to claim his brother is the reason that Barca are a famous, world-renowned club during his bitter rant against the Catalans.

"Barcelona became known thanks to Messi," he added. "Nobody knew about them before. Whoever's had the chance to go to Barcelona and see the museum, you can see that the museum is Messi."

Lionel Messi's short-term future remains unclear (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Messi has been routinely linked with a return to the club where he burst through the ranks in the mid-2000s, with manager and former teammate Xavi opening the door to this possibility last November. However, Matias' vitriolic comments about his brother's treatment suggest the Paris Saint-Germain superstar will not seal an emotional homecoming, especially with Laporta's term in office set to run until 2027, the year in which Messi will turn 40.

There is plenty of speculation around the World Cup winner's future at PSG due to his contract in the French capital expiring this summer. There is the option to extend it, while Major League Soccer club Inter Miami or a big-money move to Saudi Arabia have been touted as options.

Freddie Keighley