PSG ace Lionel Messi admits he expected to end his career with Barcelona.
With his contract having expired, though, Messi was left having to look for another club as Barcelona were, despite all things being agreed for a renewal, unable to offer their ex-captain a deal due to their financial state.
"I didn't expect it at all," Messi said in an interview with France Football this week. "In my head, I was going to go [back to Barcelona], sign and start training straight away.
"I thought that everything was set and I just needed to sign it. But when I got there, they told me that it wasn't possible anymore. They told me that I couldn't stay and that I'd have to find a new club because they couldn't renew my contract. It changed my plans.
"It was extremely difficult to accept. To think that we were going to have to leave our home, the family were going to have their routines turned upside down, the kids were going to have to change schools and come with us to a completely new place.
"It was the first time that this had happened in my career. I had decided that I was going to end my career with Barcelona. It was difficult, but we passed the test together. A lot of things went through my mind, but I had no choice but to leave."
Messi then went to Paris Saint-Germain, where he can continue to dream of winning the Champions League alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, as well as international teammate Angel Di Maria.
"PSG offered me the chance to join," Messi said. "I had other offers, but I have to admit that it was a pretty quick agreement with PSG. It wasn't easy because everything had to be done quickly, practically overnight.
"I was seduced by the project, the club's ambitions, the players they had, the group. All of those things made it easier to reach an agreement. That [having friends at the club in Neymar and Di Maria] was important, because I knew I was going to a new country and I had to start from scratch.
"I knew I had friends in the dressing room, which made it easier to adapt. At the Copa America they kept asking me if I was going to join them, but always in jest, because they knew I wanted to stay at Barcelona. So, for them, it was a surprise when I said I was going to PSG."
