The Argentinian has spent nearly 20 years in Barcelona, where he lives with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, and his three sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
Messi’s whole family started crying when he announced about his desire to leave Barca
Lionel Messi has revealed how his family reacted when he told them about his transfer request to Barcelona. The Argentinian has spent nearly 20 years in Barcelona, where he lives with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, and his three sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro. “When I announced my desire to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama,” Messi told journalists as he explained his decision to stay in an interview. “The whole family started crying; my children did not want to leave Barcelona, did not want to change schools. But I looked further, and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League. You can win or lose it because it is tough, but you have to compete. At least fight for it and let us not fall apart in Rome, Liverpool, Lisbon.
“All that made me think about the decision I wanted to fulfill. Mateo is still small, and he does not understand what it means to go somewhere else and make his life for several years elsewhere. Thiago, he is older, I heard something on TV, found out something, and asked. I didn’t want him to know that he was being forced to leave, live in a new school, or make new friends. He cried to me and said, ‘Let’s not go’. I repeat that it was hard. My sons, my family, they grew up here and from here. There was nothing incorrect with wanting to leave. I need it, the club needs it, and it was suitable for everyone. My wife, with all the pain of her soul, she supported and accompanied me.”