Former Manchester City and Manchester United striker, Carlos Tevez, has disclosed why his fellow compatriot Lionel Messi decided to ditch a return to boyhood club, Barcelona for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.
Messi is all set to join Inter Miami this summer when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the month.
The Argentina World Cup winner was in talks with Barcelona over a return to Camp Nou but eventually decided against the move.
However, Tevez, a former Argentina teammate with Messi, has now explained the 35-year-old’s decision to join Inter Miami.
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According to him, Messi was only willing to join Barcelona if he were to stay in Europe, adding that he decided not to return to the La Liga champions because he didn’t want to be a bad guy again at Camp Nou.
“No one was hurt more than Leo that he could not return to Barcelona. He made a decision knowing and understanding his own situation a bit,” Tevez told ESPN.
“He didn’t want to return to Barcelona and have his teammates be sold, or their salaries cut down, to be a bad guy in the movie again. I think it was all very lukewarm on the part of Barcelona.”
“Leo leaned towards the United States league; he likes Miami; it’s a peace of mind for him and his family. I think what he did was the correct thing. If it wasn’t Barcelona, he didn’t want anything in Europe. The decision is very well taken.”