Lionel Messi Returns to Training with Barcelona
It is official – Messi is staying in Barcelona until further notice. This comes as a relief for many after Barça’s captain expressed his desire to leave. The loss against Bayern Munich in the Championship League quarterfinals seemed to be too much for the legend.
He has returned to training sessions with his team and is getting ready for the upcoming challenges. However, the return did not happen quietly. As it turns out, Barcelona tried to make it nigh impossible for the athlete to exit.
Dispute
One of the reasons Messi decided to stay with Barcelona is that he was unable to invoke his free release clause. Messi’s team of lawyers tried to prove that he was, indeed, free to leave. On the other hand, Barcelona claimed that the clause in question is invalid and that Messi could only leave by paying €700 million. After a few quiet discussions with the club, Messi failed to appear at a few training sessions, though these were likely for medical reasons.
However, he soon came back. It seems that the potential court battle would be more trouble than it’s worth. Likewise, such a move would guarantee bad blood between the player and the team. So, for the rest of the season, Lionel Messi is going to stay with the club and give it his all. After all, Barça is his only team. If Messi’s contract does not get extended, he is going to be able to leave the club for free in 2021.
New Challenges
Barcelona is getting ready for La Liga. They are going to sit out the opening week to recuperate from the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It is a good thing that their star player remains with the team. Without him, El Clásico would definitely go to Real Madrid.
