Lionel Messi “wants a project that motivates him” and allows him to win, says former Barcelona coach Juan Carlos Unzue, with the Argentine having thought long and hard about the tough decision to push for a move elsewhere.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner stunned those at Camp Nou when airing his desire to leave on the back of a humbling 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
Tension had been building in Catalunya, with a talismanic presence making it clear that he was far from happy at events on and off the field, but efforts to sever ties with the Liga giants still came as a surprise.