Argentine superstar Leo Messi has revealed that he once considered leaving Barcelona in 2013 after tax charges labelled against him by the Spanish authorities.

Messi and his father Jorge were found guilty of defrauding the Spanish authorities of €4.2 million between 2007 and 2009 from income generated through image rights and that almost made him to consider leaving Barcelona.

“Sincerely, at that time, I thought about leaving,” Messi told Barcelona-based radio station RAC1 in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

“Not because of Barcelona but because I wanted to leave Spain, I felt very badly treated and I didn’t want to stay here any longer.

“I had my doors open to many clubs but I never got an official offer because everyone knew I really wanted to stay. This situation went way beyond my feelings for Barca.”