Lionel Messi could have stayed at Barcelona if he agreed to play for free

Lionel Messi left Barcelona for PSG after his contract expired last season and was unable to renew due to La Liga's financial fair play policy. He joined PSG on a two years contract with a salary of €41m per season. He took a 50% pay cut to a new contract at Barcelona but was not enough to register him.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta who one of his campaign promises was to have the Argentine superstar sign a new contract at the club has now opened up on the difficulty of the situation and the only means through which Lionel Messi could have stayed on at the club he played for for 21 years was to play for free.

“But there comes a time that when both parties see that it will not be possible, there is a certain disappointment on both sides… I did hope that at the last minute Messi said he would play for free. I would have liked that and he would have convinced me. I understand that La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of his level to do this." Laporta told Spanish radio, RAC1.

Messi is yet to adapt to his first club that is not Barcelona and he has just scored one goal in five appearances. The goal came in the UEFA Champions League against Manchester City. The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappé are yet to live up to the hype.