FC BARCELONA forward Lionel 'Leo' Messi insisted on an anti-independence clause in his contract with the premier league team when he signed up with the club until the year 2021, according to a report in Spanish daily broadsheet El Mundo.
Messi (pictured left), from Argentina, hit the headlines in November when it was revealed his new contract included an 'anti-PSG clause' of €700 million, aimed at preventing him from 'doing a Neymar' – the Brazilian prodigy broke off his deal with Barça earlier in 2017 to take up an offer with Paris-Saint Germain, which agreed to pay the severance penalty.
Now, it has transpired that Messi imposed the condition that if Catalunya were to become an independent nation, he would have the right to leave Barça without penalty, unless the club continued to play in the League matches in Spain, France, Germany or the UK, and did not end up in a minor division.
Messi's request was accepted and the clause has been duly signed by the club.
Barça, however, has chosen to interpret the player's condition as a sign of his commitment to the team.
