Barcelona blasted for dig at Lionel Messi move to Inter Miami

Lionel Messi is entering the next stage of his legendary career with Inter Miami in MLS.

And his former club, FC Barcelona, is salty about it. 

Barcelona released a team statement Wednesday which, on the surface, wished Messi “the best of luck in his new professional phase.”

Read further, though, and club president Joan Laporta makes a clear dig at Messi’s departure. 

“President Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the statement said. 

Oof. 

Fans were not happy with Barcelona’s response, seeing as not only is Messi a club legend, but also likely would’ve returned to the team if management had its ducks in a row. 

“There are ways of honoring the best player to ever play for your Club. This ain’t one of them. It’s not only a shot at MLS, but a direct shot at Messi,” one Twitter user wrote.  

“This is low from Barcelona. Considering they are talking about their best player in club history,” another tweet read. 

Messi, 35, first joined Barcelona as a teenager in October 2004, and spent the next 17 seasons evolving into the best player in team history.

As a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and all-time leading scorer (672), Messi’s legacy is written all over the Barcelona club.

Barcelona cited “financial and structural obstacles” as the reason the team wasn’t able to bring the star back in 2021.

Messi had a brief stint with Paris Saint-Germain before announcing the stunning move to MLS on Wednesday. 

Inter Miami, owned by fellow soccer great David Beckham, will present a different lifestyle –– and paycheck –– for Messi. 

“If the Barcelona thing didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more of my family,” Messi said, according to USA Today.

Though details of Messi’s new contract are not clear at the moment, the MLS’ salary cap rules suggest the 2022 World Cup champion will be taking a hefty pay cut.

Not to worry, Messi has an estimated $600 million net worth and potential deals with Apple and Adidas to keep things comfortable. 

Apple is in its first year of a 10-year contract with MLS as the league’s global broadcaster, offering a streaming season pass subscription to fans.

According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s likely Messi will earn a cut of all new MLS subscriptions.

Additionally, Adidas –– Messi’s sponsor since 2006 –– also produces all MLS kits, rather than the Nike ones Messi previously had been sporting in Europe.

He potentially will earn a share of revenue from new merchandise sales.

Inter Miami fans anticipate Messi’s first MLS game will be on July 12. Ticket prices for that date are multiplying from the standard $40 to nearly $500. 

Messi is bringing his talents to South Beach whether Barcelona likes it or not, and he’ll undoubtedly make a splash.