Lionel Messi took to social media to straighten things out. The Barcelona captain said the reports linking him to an exit from Camp Nou are nothing but fake news. The same goes with the suggestion that football legend Ronaldinho got out of jail in Paraguay because of the bail that he paid for.
After posting £1.3 million of bond for his temporary freedom, Ronaldinho and his brother were released by a court in Paraguay. The two entered the country with falsified documents, and reports said the Barcelona superstar provided the fund for bail money.
But according to Messi, who played with Ronaldinho in his early years at Barcelona, the suggestion that the money that bought the Brazilian legend's freedom came from him was a lie.
Goal reported that the Argentine used his Instagram account to tell the world that he did not give money to his old friend. At the same time, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner made clear he is not leaving his club in the summer.
Messi added there is no plan on his part to join up with Inter Milan, which per the same report was a scenario painted by former Inter chief Massimo Moratti. The executive was reacting to reports that Messi could walk away from his Barca deal in the summer and that interested clubs can sign him minus the burden of paying a substantial transfer fee.
"I don't think it's a forbidden dream at all. Maybe it wasn't even before this misfortune [the coronavirus lockdown]," the former Inter executive was reported as saying.
Moratti further suggested: "I don't know if this situation will change anything, but I think we will see strange things at the end of the year."
The possibility, however, has been hosed down by Messi's social media rant. As the report noted, the Argentine's "fierce rebuttal" of the allegations made clear that he intends to retire from football, still wearing his Barcelona shirt.
The talks on Messi's transfer out of Barcelona have been fueled by the superstar's string of public spats with club officials. ESPN said in a report. Back in February, the team captain disagreed with the suggestion by Eric Abidal, the club's sporting director, that the players' were to blame for the sacking of Ernesto Valverde.
Then just last week, Messi issued a stinging criticism of the Barcelona board, in which he clarified that his co-players were willing to help out regular club employees, contrary to the suggestions aired by some club officials. The Barcelona players approved a 70 percent pay cut so workers can receive their monthly salary in the next few months.
But the biggest hint of Messi's willingness to leave Barcelona was when he declared earlier in the year that his club must put together a squad that will help him win a few more Champions League titles.
