Lionel Messi admits he considered leaving Barcelona amid 2013 tax fraud investigation

Five moment Ballon Dor winner and Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has revealed he considered leaving the club in 2013.
The Argentina international, that has been in Barcelona because he was 13 and so is their all-time top scorer, said he feltbadly treated by Spain if he was investigated for tax fraud at 2013.
He had been found guilty in 2016 along with his father Jorge of defrauding the Spanish authorities of $4.2m between 2007 and 2009 over revenue gained from image rights.
Messi ordered to pay a fine of 2m and was given a prison sentence of 21 months. However, he did not serve any jail time afterwards he managed to exchange his own sentence as in Spain defendants without a previous conviction are permitted to serve any sentence of under two years on probation.
He had been researched in 2013, starting a number of tax fraud cases against footballers from Spain including Javier Mascherano Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo.
Sincerely, at the moment , I thought about leaving, Messi admitted to Barcelona-based radio channel RAC1 in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.
Not due to Barcelona but because I wanted to leave Spain, I felt very badly treated and that I did not wish to stay here any longer.
I had my doors available to many clubs but I still never got a formal offer because everyone knew I needed to stay. This scenario went way beyond my feelings for Barca.
Messi also implied that the tax authorities made an example out of him because they cracked down following the economic crisis hit of Spain.
I was the very first and thats the reason why they came down so hard on me personally. They created an example of me and also showed that it was likely to be like that for everybody. It was tough for everything that has been occurring at that moment, he said.

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