Lionel Messi no longer has plans to return to Barcelona where he created his legend, but the Argentine superstar admits he still couldn't understand what happened that led to his exit from the club.

To recall, the 34-year-old talisman joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after Barcelona said they can no longer afford to keep him. The Spanish giants blamed the La Liga rules that limit player salaries and wages for the inability to keep Messi, even with the living legend reportedly agreeing to reduce his pay by 50 percent.

Now speaking on Argentine news outlet TyC Sports, Messi opened up about his Barcelona exit and how hard it has been for him and his family. While his children were able to adapt quickly, the same cannot be said of him and his wife Antonella.

“It was really difficult to understand what happened, I wasn’t expecting to leave Barcelona. It was a shock,” Messi said, as translated by Mirror.

“I had everything in Barcelona. I left when I was very young. What's more: I lived more in Barcelona than in Argentina. The truth is that I had no plans to change anything. Luckily, the children's adaptation was spectacular. For Antonella and me it was more difficult.”

Lionel Messi has struggled in his first year with PSG, scoring just 11 goals in 38 games for the team. In comparison, he found the back of the net 38 times in his final year in Camp Nou.

Perhaps the struggle to settle in the city played a role in his poor play. However, Messi did admit that his struggles with COVID-19 was a huge factor as well.

Hopefully by his second season, Messi has settled in Paris better and recaptures his form.