Messi reveals son Thiago's heartbroken reaction to the icon's Barcelona exit before stunning U-turn

Lionel Messi has opened up on the emotional moment he told his son Thiago that he would leave Barcelona, before the icon's sudden decision to stay in Catalonia.

Messi has reluctantly opted to stay in Catalonia after stunning the sport with his transfer request, but the Argentine's contempt for the Barca board is intact after their bitter clashes in the aftermath of a disastrous season.

A one-club-man, a move to suitors Manchester City would have meant huge upheaval for the Messi family, a factor that weighed heavily on the star.

'When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama,' Messi told Goal.

'The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.

'Mateo is still little and he doesn't realise what it means to go somewhere else and make your life a few years elsewhere.

'Thiago, he is older. He heard something on TV and found out something and asked. I didn't want him to know anything about being forced to leave, to have to live in a new school, or make new friends.

'He cried to me and said 'let's not go'. I repeat that it was hard, really. It was understandable. It happened to me. It is very difficult to make a decision.'