LOS ANGELES -- Ignacio Piatti left Argentina in 2014 on good terms, having helped San Lorenzo win the Copa Libertadores title that year.
Will he return to play in his homeland again? He hasn't ruled it out, but is happy to remain with the Montreal Impact for the time being.
Piatti spoke to reporters in Los Angeles last weekend as part of a media roundtable, explaining through a translator, "it's a personal decision, to stay here," despite regular rumors connecting him with a return to Argentina.
"I know how to live in Argentina. I played a lot of football there and if you are good you are Messi, but if you are bad you are a disaster," he said. "And you have to live with that even inside your house because they do not respect the person," he said.
Piatti signed a two-year contract extension with the Impact in September, with an option to stay through the 2020 season. The deal came after the Argentine midfielder spoke publicly about possibly departing after his initial deal ran out.
But in talking to reporters last week, Piatti said he was both satisfied with remaining in MLS and with his current lifestyle.
"I really like this league, it is growing very fast, there are players from all over the world," he explained. "I don't regret coming here, I also like the life I have in Canada."
Piatti has scored an impressive 47 goals and 21 assists in 92 MLS regular season appearances to date with the Impact, to go with five goals and three assists in eight MLS Cup Playoffs games. Hungry to bring a league title to Montreal, he appeared to feel he has unfinished business with the team.
Montreal are undergoing major changes this offseason, with a slew of roster changes and the addition of French manager Remi Garde as the Impact's new head coach. While Piatti had not had a chance to speak with Garde before the opening of training camp this week, he did note he had reached out to the ex-Lyon and Aston Villa manager after his hiring was announced.
"I'm really looking forward to speaking to him, to see what style of game he will propose, and see what players he will bring, because we had a lot of players that left," he said. "And it's difficult, when you lose 10 [or] 12 players, because it means you need to get together with them, meet them and see what the coach is trying to propose in about a month."
The Impact kick off their 2018 MLS regular season slate on March 4 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6 pm ET | TSN, TVAS in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).
