Barcelona president, Joan Laporta has admitted it is ‘unusual’ seeing Lionel Messi in an Inter Miami jersey.
Messi moved to america to hitch the franchise after leaving PSG earlier this month.
The Argentine ahead had been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona, the place he spent 17 years between 2004 and 2021, with Laporta concerned in negotiations over a doable deal. However an settlement by no means materialized and the World Cup-winning captain moved Stateside to hitch David Beckham’s membership.
Talking to ESPN, Laporta defined his emotions in direction of Messi taking part in in Miami, earlier than wishing the 36-year-old his finest.
‘It is a unusual feeling,’ he stated. ‘We determine Messi with Barcelona. That is the best way I feel most supporters see Messi, as a result of most of his profession has been at Barca.
‘However we respect his resolution and we want the perfect for him. We would like the perfect for our gamers. He got here to Barcelona as a child, 14-years-old, and he spent 20 years with us. I hope he might be very glad in Miami.’
However he ended up in North America and continues to excite followers of Inter after two spectacular performances thus far.
‘It was very shut,’ Laporta added on discussions over a return. ‘We needed to handle our monetary truthful play state of affairs so we wanted time.
‘On the finish, we reached an settlement with LaLiga that licensed us so as to add him to the squad.
‘However Leo was coming from a state of affairs in Paris the place he was below loads of strain. His father instructed me that he wanted a spot the place he will not be below strain and at Barca that might not be the case due to the which means of the return of our hero.’