Lionel Messi's brother has released a statement after he claimed his superstar sibling would only return to Spanish giants Barcelona if they could kick president Joan Laporta out of the club.
On Wednesday, Matias Messi caused a stir online when he made controversial remarks about the Catalan club following his brother's shock departure in August 2021.
The 40-year-old's comments appeared to echo the sentiments held by the Messi family, which has been reported by Spanish press in the past, that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner still harbours ill feelings towards his boyhood side.
Messi was surprised to discover the club would not be extending his contract prior to his free-agent switch to Paris Saint-Germain, with certain statements made by Laporta in the aftermath of his exit rubbing salt into his wounds.
Not long after he joined PSG, the Spaniard suggested the Argentine could have done more to remain a Barcelona player in 2021, comments that implied all was not well between Messi and the Barca chief.
Matias, meanwhile, has since apologised for the words he shared on his son's Twitch channel.
"I want to vindicate myself for what I said on social networks, I was only with my son and his friends making a joke," he wrote on Instagram, according to Sport.
"How am I going to think that of a club as big as Barcelona and its history, which has given so much to my family like Leo."
Messi's contract in France expires at the end of the season, with the 35-year-old linked with a move to the MLS or Saudi Arabia.
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