Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer Lionel Messi says he is staying because it is “impossible” for any team to pay his release clause and he does not want to face “the club I love” in court.
The Argentine, 33, sent a fax to Barca last Tuesday saying he wanted to exercise a clause in his contract which he said allowed him to leave for free.
But the club said his 700m euro (£624m) release clause would have to be met.
“I thought and was sure that I was free to leave,” Messi told Goal.
“The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.
“Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700m clause, and that this is impossible.”
Messi, whose contract expires next summer, says the fact he did not tell Barca he wanted to leave before 10 June was crucial, and had he done so his release clause would not have had to be met.
“Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before 10 June, when it turns out that on 10 June we were competing for La Liga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season,” he added.
“There was another way and it was to go to trial. I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.
“It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.”
Messi’s father Jorge had held talks in Barcelona this week and insisted his son could leave for free, only for La Liga to back Barca’s stance over the release clause.
Manchester City were among the clubs linked with Messi when he made clear he wanted to end his 20-year stay at the Nou Camp, nine days after an 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
That result meant Barca ended the season with no silverware, and they replaced manager Quique Setien with former Everton and Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.
Messi is yet to train with his team-mates since Koeman’s arrival and admits the club’s lack of recent success influenced his decision to ask to leave.
“I looked further afield and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League,” he said.
“When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama.
“The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.
“I love Barcelona and I’m not going to find a better place than here anywhere. Still, I have the right to decide.
“I was going to look for new goals and new challenges. And tomorrow I could go back, because here in Barcelona I have everything.”
‘This could get uglier’ – Analysis
So Messi is staying, but this saga is far from over.
One notable takeaway from his interview was his brutal assessment of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, as he lamented: “There has been no project or anything for a long time, they juggle and cover holes as they go along.”
Bartomeu’s tenure as president finishes in March but he will now come under heavy pressure to resign immediately, and it’s hard to see how he and Messi can coexist in the same club after such a vicious character assassination.
Of course, the big question also lingers: will Messi now leave on a free transfer next summer? If so, he will be allowed to negotiate his move in January, and that topic is sure to dominate headlines over the next few weeks.
One man in the middle of this is recently appointed coach Ronald Koeman, who has the task of somehow reintegrating the team’s captain and key player within an utterly dysfunctional club still traumatised by the embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss against Bayern Munich.
All the best, Ronald. This sorry story has a few more chapters to be written, and it could get uglier yet.
From going to staying – a Messi timeline
- 14 August – Messi and Barcelona are humiliated as they crash out of the Champions League with an 8-2 thrashing by eventual winners Bayern Munich in their one-off quarter-final tie.
- 17 August – Head coach Quique Setien is sacked eight months after taking charge at the Nou Camp.
- 18 August – Former Barca midfielder Ronald Koeman leaves his job as manager of the Netherlands to take over from Setien.
- 25 August – Messi sends a burofax to Barca chiefs informing them he wishes to leave – with claims of disagreements between the player and the club of the validity of a contract clause which would allow him to go for free.
- 30 August – Messi does not turn up for his scheduled Covid-19 test before Barcelona’s start to pre-season training. Later, La Liga issues a statement siding with Barca in the dispute over whether Messi can depart for nothing.
- 2 September – Messi and his father Jorge hold a meeting with Barca, and Jorge is reported in the Spanish press as saying it would be “difficult” for his son to stay at the Nou Camp.
- 4 September – Messi’s father writes to La Liga insisting his son is contractually allowed to leave Barcelona for free in the current transfer window. However, Messi later confirms his intention to stay because he does not want to take Barcelona to court.
Josh2Funny’s Album Has Fans Talking — But Should He Stick To Music Or Skits? 😂🎶
Nigerian comedian and content creator Josh2Funny has taken his comedy game into music, and Nigerians are definitely having something to say about it.
The comedian released his 15-track album, “On Behalf of Josh,” on July 10, 2026, but instead of fading away after release, the project has continued to generate conversations on X.
And the big question now is:
Should Josh2Funny continue with music or go back to skits? 😂
Fans have been divided. While some listeners openly criticized the album and told him to return to comedy, others found songs they genuinely enjoyed.
One X user joked:
“Josh2Funny stopped doing skits and started music, Everybody wan chop this music money 😂”
Another simply said:
“This Josh2Funny Album no enter make he just go back skit abeg 😂”
But then came “Lembe.” 🔥
The track caught fire on X and eventually became a trending topic in Nigeria. The #LembeChallenge also gained momentum as creators began jumping on the song.
Josh2Funny later announced ₦1 million for winners of the challenge, giving the song another major push.
And it didn’t stop there.
‘INTERNATIONAL’ FT. ICE PRINCE ALSO TRENDED
On another day, “International” featuring Ice Prince generated its own buzz on X.
One fan even called it their favourite song from the album, while praising the collaboration. The post itself pulled thousands of views, showing that people weren’t only talking about Lembe.
From album criticism to trending songs and challenges, “On Behalf of Josh” has kept Josh2Funny’s name in the conversation.
Whether you love the album or think he should return to skits, one thing is clear:
Josh2Funny has succeeded in getting Nigerians talking. 😂🔥
So, let’s settle this once and for all:
Should Josh2Funny continue with MUSIC 🎶 or return to SKITS 😂?
Music or Skits? Drop your answer! 👇
RUAN-Badkid.96 is a Nigerian recording artist whose music refuses to live inside a single genre. Blending Afrobeat, Afrofusion, trap, hip-hop, melodic rap, R&B, and global influences, he creates records that move effortlessly between raw street energy, soulful storytelling, and infectious melodies. Whether delivering hard-hitting bars, emotional love songs, or rhythm-driven African records, his sound is defined by authenticity rather than limitation.
Inspired by both African culture and international music, RUAN-Badkid.96 embraces the confidence and ambition of global hip-hop while staying deeply connected to his roots. His lyrics explore love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, social injustice, hope, and the everyday realities of life. He doesn’t create music to follow trends, he creates music to reflect truth, emotion, and human experience.
Behind his fearless image is an artist who believes in kindness, equality, justice, and genuine human connection. His appearance may be intimidating, but his message is rooted in compassion and authenticity. Every record carries a piece of his journey, proving that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same voice.
For RUAN-Badkid.96, music is more than entertainment, it’s a language, a testimony, and a lifelong mission to connect with people through honesty, versatility, and unforgettable sound.
Entertainment Gists
Meet the Man Who Turned Hype Into a Science: Emmy Blaq, Nigeria’s G.O.A.T. of Hype
If you have ever been at a Nigerian event and found yourself on your feet before the main act even stepped on stage, there is a good chance a hype man was responsible. But not just any hype man. Emmy Blaq, born Ikechukwu Emmanuel Chima and raised in Auchi, Edo State, has spent the last few years quietly becoming the most talked-about name in that profession, and the Nigerian press has taken notice. Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation, and Independent Newspaper have all sat down with him, and every conversation leads back to the same thing: this man does not just make noise; he makes moments.
What makes Emmy Blaq different is the journey behind the energy. Before the stages, the collaborations with Waje on her “Waje 2.0” album, DJ Consequence, and DJ Kaywise on the massively streamed “Joor Party Mix” series, he was repairing generators, cutting hair, and sewing clothes in Auchi. His first professional hype gig happened at a local fast food spot called Valchi, and the crowd response that night changed everything. He told The Nation directly: “My passion for entertainment and desire to make people happy led me into the craft.” Punch also captured his bigger mission when he said that hype men deserve more than what they currently earn, a statement that sparked a real conversation across Nigerian entertainment circles.
With over 1.7 million TikTok followers, 23.6 million TikTok likes, a viral “Wife Material” challenge that landed on Pulse Nigeria’s top ten social media moments of 2021, and an international performance at the Cameroon International Music Festival that Cameroonian media described as electrifying, Emmy Blaq is not building toward something. He is already there. The G.O.A.T. of Hype is not a title he gave himself and hoped would stick. It is one the rooms keep confirming every single time he grabs the mic.
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