La Liga president Javier Tebas stated that he wants to see Lionel Messi back in Barcelona in an interview with the Argentine publication Ole.
Messi spent his entire career with Barça until leaving last year, but the club was unable to extend his contract. The 35-year-old joined PSG and committed to a two-year deal that would terminate at the conclusion of the current season.
A return to Barcelona has received a lot of attention since the Argentina captain is expected to become a free agent in the summer. And Tebas has now come clean about his desire to see Messi return to Spanish football, stating that it would benefit everyone.
The president of La Liga also made fun of PSG and Ligue 1 in the process, claiming that less people are tuning in to see Messi play in the French top division now than they were when he was at Barcelona.
“I think that Messi is not only missed in La Liga, but he is missed in football, because the French league is what it is, right? I think that no matter how good he is at PSG, he is followed much less than when he was at FC Barcelona,” Tebas said.
“Therefore, football misses Lionel Messi and we hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again. I don’t see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don’t see it.”
The La Liga president then acknowledged that he missed seeing Messi play and expressed his desire to see him return to Barcelona, saying:
“At Barca, within La Liga, I did see him much more often. I miss him, I don’t know if he will have one last dance, that will depend on him. I hope he comes back. Above all, it would also be good for him to return to Spanish football, especially to the team that saw him born.”
Tebas went on to imply that it was a mistake for Barcelona and Messi to split last year, saying:
“Because I think it was a mistake even for him, in my opinion, to break that marriage, that alliance since he was born in football, because it would have helped him a lot with continuity, like the Messi-Barca brand, which is very important for a player.”
While Inter Miami FC is reportedly interested in signing Messi, who is 35 years old, Barcelona are hope to re-sign him next summer. A choice regarding his future is anticipated following the FIFA World Cup.
