Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he has no issues with Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona, despite the potential consequences of one of the greatest players of all time joining the club’s fiercest rival.
Messi is approaching the end of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain after spending two seasons in the French capital, and he is now at a fresh career crossroads.
While Barcelona has publicly expressed confidence in securing a reunion, PSG reportedly acknowledges that a new deal with Messi is unlikely. Therefore, a return to Camp Nou, where he spent 21 years until the summer of 2021, seems to be the more probable outcome.
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Messi has been spending time in Barcelona lately, and talks with Barcelona are scheduled. Even though Messi is turning 36 in June, he is still an exceptional player who could undoubtedly strengthen Barcelona, a team already set to win La Liga ahead of Real Madrid this season. However, Ancelotti is not bothered by the prospect of Messi joining Barcelona, suggesting that it would benefit Spanish football as a whole, and he believes it would mean more eyes on La Liga.
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Ancelotti thinks that “Messi can do whatever he wants and Barcelona too. It’s not an issue for me,” the Real coach said. “I like him as a player. For Spanish football, it could be nice to have him. But it’s a matter for Messi and Barcelona.”
Messi famously wanted to leave Barcelona in 2020 due to frustration with how the club was being run under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Still, by 2021 he was content to stay and even agreed to a new contract until potentially 2026. However, the deal could not be registered due to La Liga’s spending rules, which have crippled Barcelona in recent seasons due to the poor state of the club’s finances.
As a result, Messi had no choice but to leave and became a free agent. He then chose to join PSG on a two-year contract, struggling by his usual standards during his debut season in France. Nevertheless, he has been much more at home in 2022/23.
Despite this, his ties to Barcelona, both the club and the city, remain incredibly strong, having spent a third of his life there at the time he left.
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