5 times Lionel Messi came close to leaving Barcelona in the past

#3 Tito Vilanova's episode (2014)

Tito Vilanova convinced Lionel Messi to remain with Barcelona in 2014

Barcelona suffered a torrid campaign in 2013/2014. They lost to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, conceded the Liga title to Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou and were sent packing from the UEFA Champions League by the Rojiblancos at the quarterfinal stage.

Lionel Messi had decided he wanted to leave the Camp Nou when he went to visit Tito Vilanova at his home...Vilanova sat Messi down and calmed his frustrations. Just six days later he tragically passed away 💔🙏https://t.co/O0JovOcCUB

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) April 26, 2019

The disappointment was too much for Lionel Messi to bear. The Argentine approached ex-Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, who was battling cancer in the hospital to inform him of his decision to leave the club. However, the Spaniard managed to change his mind and stayed put.

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#2 Tax issues (2016)

Lionel Messi was left disappointed with the whole tax saga in Spain

Lionel Messi was accused of tax evasion by Spanish authorities in 2016. His father Jorge Messi, who acts as his agent, was also probed. The Argentine was penalized with a fine of €255,000 despite pleading innocent to the charges. Left disappointed by the drama the situation caused, he reportedly got tired of life in Spain and considered leaving the country.

He admitted during an interview with RAC1: "At that time, I thought about leaving, not because I wanted to leave Barcelona but because I thought about leaving Spain. I felt badly treated and I didn't want to be there any longer.''

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#1 The burofax saga (2020)

Lionel Messi wanted to leave Barcelona because he wasn't convinced by Bartomeu's project

The clash between Lionel Messi and former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu in 2020 led to the Argentine shocking the football world by submitting an official request to leave the club.

Although Messi had a deal with the Catalan giants until the summer of 2021, there was a clause in the deal that allowed him to terminate his contract with the club and leave for free at the end of every season.

Lionel Messi will not be continuing with Barcelona. I truly never thought I would see the day. This is on Bartomeu.

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) August 5, 2021

Despite agreeing to let Messi go if he exercised the option, Bartomeu refused to honor it. Messi eventually decided to stay put and complete the last year that remained on his contract. The Argentine later revealed that he would've won the case on legal grounds but went on to admit that he wasn't willing to be embroiled in a battle with a club that gave him so much in his career.