Forward of MLS club Inter Miami and Argentina national team Lionel Messi in an interview ruled out his departure to Barcelona or any other club on loan in the winter transfer window.
Journalist and insider Fabrizio Romano quoted Messi with reference to the newspaper L'Equipe:
No, there is no chance, it's impossible. I thought about going back to Barça, about my life there, about finishing my career there as I always wanted, but it was impossible. This year I had many offers, including several European clubs and teams from Saudi Arabia.
Recall, the Argentine is a graduate of La Masia. He played for the Blaugrana from 2003 to 2021. In total, Messi played for Barcelona 835 matches in all tournaments, scoring 709 goals, winning ten titles, winning the Champions League four times and UEFA Super Cup three times. Messi did not renew his contract with Barça in the summer of 2021 due to the club's dire financial situation.
On October 30, Messi won the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his career, beating Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe in the battle for the award. However, the legendary striker failed to win the Best MLS Newcomer award.