Andres Iniesta has opened up on the pain of seeing Lionel Messi leave Barcelona and play for another team this season.
The Vissel Kobe midfielder said that it is difficult to pass comments on the transfer saga from outside the club but he would have preferred that Messi continued at Barça.
Iniesta and Messi were teammates at Barcelona and fellow La Masia graduates. They came up from the Academy to play in the first team for so many years alongside new Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez. Whilst Xavi and Iniesta left the Catalan club in 2015 and 2018 respectively, Messi’s departure in 2021 caused a lot of fuss as many football fans did not see it coming.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper AS, Iniesta stated that he believes the club did everything it could to keep the Argentine captain but situations change.
“I don’t know whether to call it sadness because of what it meant. He changed teams, but there are situations that can change and each one sees them in a way,” Iniesta told AS.
“That is the law of life and goes beyond the fact that I would have liked him to have continued at Barça. It is difficult to give an opinion from the outside.
“I understand that the club did everything it could. I don’t think the club didn’t want Leo to be there. From then on, they only know what could have happened.”
The ex-Spanish international admitted that seeing Messi wear another shirt after so many years at Barcelona hurts.
“It is rare to see Messi with another shirt. I would have liked him to have continued. After so many years, wearing another shirt hurts. But it can happen, as it has happened. Each one takes his own way,” Iniesta concluded.
