As members of the Argentina team and support squad took turns to hug Lionel Messi, his eyes were fixed on the stands.
It will be difficult for Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona after he made public his desire to leave the Spanish club, his father and agent Jorge Messi said on Wednesday as he arrived in the city to negotiate his son's future.
'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.'
Lionel Messi will face trial for tax evasion after a Spanish high court rejected his latest appeal.
Lionel Messi, who is Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 634 goals in 731 games, is expected to spend three seasons at Manchester City before moving to CFG's Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC.
La Liga club Barcelona have expressed their support for Argentine striker Lionel Messi and his father after the Spanish Supreme Court upheld their prison sentences over tax fraud charges, although neither are expected to go to jail.
Messi, who failed to turn up for pre-season training on Monday, had previously labelled his side 'weak' and 'inconsistent' after surrendering the league title to rivals Real Madrid.
Although the prosecutor has argued Lionel Messi should not have to answer the charges as his father oversaw his finances, a court document published on Thursday showed the judge in the case had ruled he must still appear as a defendant.
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi had nothing to do with his own tax affairs and should not be included in an investigation into an alleged fraud, his father Jorge has insisted.
Lionel Messi's father Jorge has sought to play down comments his son made this week which suggested the four-time World Player of the Year could consider leaving Barcelona.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to arrange a meeting with an Afghan boy who shot to fame after pictures of him dressed in a striped plastic bag jersey went viral, Kabul's football federation said on Monday.
Rediff.com lists those sportsmen who have been accused of 'sleeping with the enemy'
Lionel Messi will have another chance to match or surpass Telmo Zarra's six-decade-old La Liga scoring record of 251 goals when Barcelona host promoted Eibar on Saturday.
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