Lionel
Messi has admitted he was “hurt” by the “inappropriate” claims made by Barcelona
president Joan Laporta on his exit from the club, saying he was never asked to
play for free. Barca were hoping to sign the Argentine on a new five-year-deal
that would see his salary reduced by half.

However, it
later became clear that the club will not be able to afford to renew Messi’s
contract amid dire financial troubles. Messi then bid goodbye to his boyhood club
in a teary press conference before joining Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.

Laporta had
later claimed he hoped Messi will agree to play for free until the final
moments before his emotional departure. Reacting to those comments in an
interview with Spanish outlet Sport, Messi said, “Never at any moment did they
ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50 per cent and I
did it without any problem.”

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 “We were willing to help the club more. My
desire and that of my family was to stay in Barcelona. No one asked me to play
for free, but at the same time, the president’s words were inappropriate. It
hurt because I don’t think there was any need to say that.”

“It’s
like taking the ball from you and not accepting the responsibility or taking
charge of things. That makes people think and generates doubts that I don’t
think I deserve,” Messi said.

He also said
he will return to Barcelona and live in the city after his PSG contract expires
in 2023, but was not sure if he will return to the club in any capacity. He
also said he would love to contribute to the club’s growth in the future as a technical
director at some point.

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“I’ve
always said I’d love to be able to help the club do well in any way that I can
be useful. I’d love to be a technical director at some point. I don’t know if
that’ll be at Barcelona or if it might work out differently.”

“If the
option is there, I’d love to contribute again in any way that I can because
it’s the club that I love and I’d love it to keep doing well, growing and
remain one of the best in the world.”