Joan Laporta: Barcelona 'respect' Lionel Messi's Inter Miami transfer

Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the Spanish giants are happy as long as Lionel Messi's happy - even after he turned them down to join MLS side Inter Miami.

Messi's decision to join Major League Soccer and Inter Miami sent shockwaves around the world, after he rejected offers from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal and former club Barcelona.

While it would've made sense for Barca to be upset at their greatest ever player turning them down for one last one dance, Laporta hasn't entertained those thoughts. Instead, it's his achievements and legacy that will be remembered, though the Catalan giants' president admitted it was rather different seeing the 36-year-old don the bright pink of Miami.

"It's a strange feeling," Laporta said in an interview with ESPN on Barcelona's summer tour of the United States. "We identify Messi with Barcelona. That's the way I think most supporters see Messi, because most of his career has been at Barca."

Messi won every trophy there was to offer at the Camp Nou - multiple times at that - including seven Copa Del Reys, four UEFA Champions Leagues, and ten La Liga titles.

"But we respect his decision and we wish the best for him. We want the best for our players. He came to Barcelona as a kid, 14-years-old, and he spent 20 years with us. I hope he can be very happy in Miami," said Laporta.

Switching gears, Laporta revealed that Barcelona were able to get out of Financial Fair Play distress (for the time being) and were able to register Messi had he signed.

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"It was very close. We had to manage our financial fair play situation so we needed time. At the end, we reached an agreement with LaLiga that authorised us to add him to the squad."

But, as the 2022 World Cup winner stated previously, his move to Miami was about him not having to play under so much pressure like he was at Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, before winning the most popular sporting tournament on the globe. At Miami, Messi is able to play in a different environment and shoulder of the responsibility of being in south Florida in other ways.

"But Leo was coming from a situation in Paris where he was under a lot of pressure. His father told me that he needed a place where he won't be under pressure and at Barca that would not be the case because of the meaning of the return of our hero," Laporta said.

"Everything that is good for Messi makes us happy, and it is also good for Barcelona. Everyone identifies him with our club because he played almost all his career practically in Barca, and for us we hold him in our heart and he knows that Barca is his home."

While Barcelona are gearing up for the 2023/34 La Liga season, Inter Miami are awaiting their next opponent in the knockout stage of the 2023 Leagues Cup.

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