Carlos Tevez, the Argentine legend and former teammate of Lionel Messi, has provided an explanation for why Messi did not return to Barcelona after his contract with PSG expired.
Messi, widely regarded as Barcelona's greatest player and one of the greatest in the history of the sport, holds numerous club records, including 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 appearances at Camp Nou.
Despite being the most valuable player on the free transfer market this summer and receiving a lucrative offer of €400 million per year from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Messi turned down both Al-Hilal and Barcelona to join the MLS club Inter Miami, co-owned by English legend David Beckham.
In an interview with ESPN, Carlos Tevez stated that Messi chose not to rejoin Barcelona because he did not want to be seen as the "bad guy." Tevez highlighted the financial issues at the Spanish club, which would have required other players to take pay cuts or leave the team in order to reach an agreement with Messi.
Tevez said:
"It seems to me that Leo took the decision knowing and understanding his own situation. He didn't want to go back to Barcelona and have his teammates lower their salaries and be the bad guy again. It hurt him more than anyone not being able to return to Barcelona, which is his home.
"I think it was all very lukewarm on Barcelona's part. Leo opted for the league in the United States. He likes Miami; it's tranquility for him and his family. I think what he did was the right thing to do. If it wasn't Barcelona, where he knew he was going to be the center of attention again, it was nothing in Europe. The decision was very well made."
Messi has agreed to an initial two-and-a-half-year deal with Inter Miami and is expected to join the franchise, co-owned by David Beckham, in early July. Currently, he is on international duty with Argentina preparing for friendly matches against Australia and Indonesia.
Barcelona has been instructed by La Liga to reduce their debt by €200 million this summer if they want to defend their title in the upcoming season. Messi's return would have reportedly required the entire staff, including players and support staff, to agree to salary reductions.