Lionel Messi opens up on Barcelona return plan | OneFootball

Inter Miami's star forward Lionel Messi has revealed that a return to Barcelona after the 2022 World Cup "wasn't possible" despite his best efforts.

Following a failed attempt to force his way out of Catalonia in the burofax summer of 2020, Messi tearfully left Barcelona one year later as the club simply couldn't finance a new contract for their greatest ever player.

The ageing playmaker was gleefully snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain. After enduring a relatively tricky debut season of adaptation, Messi rediscovered his best form at the start of the 2022/23 campaign before leading Argentina to the nation's first World Cup title in 36 years.

Messi was out of contract again that summer, prompting a global scramble for his signature. Saudi Pro League clubs were desperate to pair the Argentine with his long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo while Inter Miami enlisted the help of Major League Soccer and Apple to finance a deal for the global icon.

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in tears during the summer of 2021 / Eric Alonso/GettyImages

Yet, had Messi had his way, he would have been back at Camp Nou. "After the World Cup, I couldn't see myself playing for any other European team other than Barca," the 37-year-old told Simplemente Futbol this week. "My goal was to return. To return to my home, where it all began. But unfortunately, that wasn't possible."

As Messi subsequently revealed, he was reluctant to accept the consequences that would be caused by the financial demands of a potential homecoming. "I heard that they had to sell players or reduce players' salaries, and the truth is that I didn't want to go through that or take responsibility for something related to all of that," he explained.

Messi is hardly on a pittance, but he insisted that money was not the motivating factor for moving to Inter Miami. "The decision to come here was purely a family decision," the world's second-highest paid footballer said. "We came to the United States, to Miami, to live this new experience."

Inter Miami are confident about extending that lucrative contract and Messi is not considering retirement just yet. "I have no doubt that I will continue competing," he claimed. "This nature will never leave me, because it's part of me. This is how I was raised. I love winning and competing."

However, the global phenom remained coy on his participation in the 2026 World Cup. "This year will be important for my decision regarding the World Cup," Messi admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it."

If the nimble left-footer is still tip-toeing between bewildered backlines in the summer of 2026 - when he turns 39 - Barcelona are reportedly pushing to finally bring Messi back to a place he will forever call "home".