The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has welcomed Lionel Messi’s decision to stay with Barcelona and hopes the Argentine superstar will see out his career “in our competition”. Messi, 33, told the Spanish giants that he intended to leave on a free transfer, before performing a dramatic U-turn in an <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/lionel-messi-to-stay-at-barcelona-read-the-full-interview-transcript-as-argentine-takes-aim-at-club-1.1073021">explosive interview</a> with Goal Spain on Friday. “We wanted Messi to be with us obviously, and now he’s decided to stay in the La Liga and it indeed is a massive relief,” Tebas said in a video conference to announce the start of the La Liga season. Tebas backed Barca's stance that a deadline for Messi to inform the club of his decision to leave for nothing expired on June 10. The player and his representatives argued that, due to the coronavirus-enforced three-month hiatus, the 2019/20 season only ended following the Champions League final on August 23, and that he had given the Catalans the requisite 10-day notice when he informed them by <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/lionel-messi-hands-in-barcelona-transfer-request-1.1068386">burofax on August 25</a> of his intentions. “He’s the best player in the history of football. He spent 20 years with us here and as the president of the La Liga I would really like him end his days in our competition,” Tebas added. Though happy to have Messi represent La Liga, Tebas argued that the brand was bigger than any individual or club. “We have been working for many years for the La Liga to be a brand,” he said. “It has to be above individual players and clubs, because we want to provide both entertainment and passion to fans both locally and internationally. “Anyway, we know for 20 years in the La Liga we had Messi and we were worried if we had to lose him. We are now very pleased that he’s going to be with us and not going to another one.” <strong>_____________________</strong> <strong>_____________________</strong> The new Liga season gets underway on Friday with Athleitc Bilbao taking on Granada, with Tebas saying it was important that football in Spain returns in order to compete with other lucrative leagues across Europe. "We want the La Liga to be competitive like the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A," he said, claiming La Liga is now watched by audiences in remotes countries including Greenland and Mongolia. “We are completing 90 years and we have a lot of experience but we still need to continue to grow, and that’s what we are looking into, the future. “La Liga is a part of an international entertainment. We want to draw millions of fans in Spain and worldwide every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Former Barcelona midfielder and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta, a La Liga ambassador who now plies his trade with Japanese side Vissel Kobe, said excitement was already building ahead of the new season. “It is like every other season with teams starting from zero and building their expectations,” he said. “It’s again going to be a fiercely competitive and exciting season as it keeps on happening year after year. “We are very excited the season is starting after the global pandemic. There is a lot of competitiveness and that’s very good in the football world." Iniesta, a former teammate of Messi's at Barcelona where he won nine Liga titles, six Copa del Reys and four Champions League trophies in a glittering Camp Nou career, predicted an exciting season ahead. “La Liga is an emotional and interesting league. I have had the opportunity to be in it for many years and I think it’s the number one in the world," he added. “I think the talent we have in the La Liga is incredible. Let’s hope it’s a season we are all going to enjoy a lot.”
