Lionel Messi told Barcelona that he wanted to leave the club last summer and join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Mundo Deportivo have reported.
The Barcelona star sensationally retired from international football in June last year after missing the decisive penalty in Argentina's Copa America final shootout with Chile.
And matters got much worse for Messi as just 10 days later, he was given a suspended 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud.
According to Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo, the 29-year-old's prison sentence was the determining factor in Messi wanting to leave Barcelona and join Guardiola at City, with the pair enjoying plenty of success together during the manager's spell with the Catalan giants.