Lionel Messi’s desire to leave Barcelona was made clear earlier in the summer, and the disagreements which followed have done both player and club no favours.
With the 2020/21 season finally underway for the Catalans, the Argentinian has now attempted to draw a line under the furore.
In an exclusive interview with Sport he wanted to justify his outbursts and the fall-out which followed, but noted that the only way that Barca will win anything this season is if there’s unity at the club.
“After so many disagreements, I would like to bring an end to everything,” Messi said.
“We all have to be united and assume that the best is yet to come.
“I take responsibility for my errors and if they existed, it was only to make FC Barcelona better and stronger.
“Uniting passion with excitement and motivation will be the only way to achieve our objectives, always united and rowing in the same direction.
“I wanted to send a message to all the socios and fans that follow us. If at any moment, any of them were annoyed by something that I said or did, let there be no doubts that anything I did was always with the club’s best interests in mind.”
After a stunning opening to their league season, with Messi on target in a 4-0 win over Villarreal, fixtures against Celta Vigo and Sevilla are on the immediate horizon as well as the draw for the Champions League.
Whether or not any further signings are secured for the Camp Nou outfit, the team look re-energised under new manager, Ronald Koeman.
Perhaps being at rock-bottom after the 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich could actually work in their favour, particularly with a focussed Messi still at the forefront.