Barcelona says Lionel Messi went to MLS 'to compete in a league with fewer demands'

Barcelona seems a little bitter Lionel Messi chose to play for Inter Miami CF over the La Liga club, noting the star player's desire "to compete in a league with fewer demands."

With his contract with Paris Saint-Germain set to expire at the end of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season, the 2022 World Cup champion and seven-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner was rumored to return to the club with which he began his professional career. But Messi said Wednesday there were a lot of things missing from his talks with Barcelona, like no formal, written proposal for him joining the team.

After Messi revealed his decision to join Major League Soccer, Barcelona said in a statement it wishes Messi "the best of luck in his new professional phase," despite interest by both sides on him returning to Spain.

"On Monday, June 5, Jorge Messi, the player’s father and representative, informed club president Joan Laporta of the player's decision to join Inter Miami, despite having been presented with a proposal from Barça, in consideration of the desire of both FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi for him to once again wear blaugrana.

"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 club said.

Barcelona added the club is going to work on promoting a "proper tribute" from its fans to honor Messi.

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The statement drew confusion on social media, with Twitter users noting the mention of Messi's desires "completely unnecessary" and showed "no respect."

In a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport announcing his decision, Messi said if a contract with Barcelona didn't work out, he wanted to leave Europe, "get out of the spotlight and think more of my family."

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Messi is expected to join Inter Miami in late July, with a rumored target date on July 21 against LigaMX's Cruz Azul. Ticket prices have soared since the announcement, with tickets on TicketSmarter starting at $700 with fees.