MADRID (AP) — Lionel Messi returned to training with Barcelona on Monday, almost two weeks after he told the club he wanted to leave.
After reluctantly changing his mind, Messi was back with the team to prepare for the new season. The club said he practiced separately from the rest of the squad because he still needs to undergo a second coronavirus test before rejoining his teammates.
Messi said last week he wasn’t happy with Barcelona but would rather stay than get into a legal battle with the “club of his life.” Messi wanted to leave for free but the Catalan club said the contract clause he invoked had already expired, so he has to stay at least until the end of his contract in June 2021.