Lionel Messi will remain at Camp Nou.

Only days after informing Barcelona that he intended to leave the club, the 31-year-old Barca icon announced on Friday that he will stay with the team after all, but bad blood appears to still linger.

“I'll continue at Barcelona and my attitude won't change, no matter how much I have wanted to go," Messi told Goal.com. "I told the club and the president (Josep Maria Bartomeu) that I wanted to go. I've been telling him all year. I thought my time in Barcelona was over, sadly - I always wanted to finish my career here."

A product of the Barca academy, the Argentina international joined the club in 2001 as a teen and made his first team debut in 2004.

Messi's 734 appearances across all competitions over 16 seasons are second only to former teammate Xavi Hernandez for most ever in a Barcelona shirt. His 634 goals are a club record.

The announcement comes only days after Messi's father, who acts as his agent, had meetings with the Barca brass to help hammer out the terms of his exit. The point of contention between the two parties was an annual opt-out clause in Messi's deal. Barca contends that the May 31st date for the clause is ironclad and the window to opt out had closed. Messi countered that the actual date was immaterial because it was meant to coincide with the end of the season, which - because of the stoppage due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic - didn't occur until August. The club insisted that in order to leave the club, Messi's buyout clause of €700 million would have to be met.

Messi insists he was misled by Bartomeu.

"It was a very difficult year, I suffered a lot in training, in games and in the dressing room," Messi said. "The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end he did not end up keeping his word."

The presidency of Barcelona is an elected office and Bartomeu is up for re-election next year. Former president Joan Laporta and Victor Font have already announced that they will be running against Bartomeu, who assumed office in 2014.

Messi accused the club of having a lack of direction.

"I wanted a winning project and to win titles with the club to continue expanding the legend of Barcelona," Messi said. "The truth is that there has been no project or anything for a long time, they juggle and cover holes as things go by."

While no official bids were tabled for Messi, Manchester City was his most likely destination with Messi intent on a reunion with former manager Pep Guardiola.