Lionel Messi's era at FC Barcelona has come to an end.
The Argentine superstar will not get a new contract with the Catalans due to financial and structural obstacles in the statutes of the Spanish league.
The financially troubled club officially announced this on Thursday evening.
The 34-year-old striker has been without a contract since July 1 and is now looking for a new club.
In 2000, Messi moved with his father to Spain from his native Rosario in Argentina and matured into a superstar in Barcelona.
The six-time world footballer made his debut in the first team in October 2004.
With Barcelona he won four Champions League titles and ten Spanish championships.
He also led theKClub to three triumphs at the Club World Cup and seven cup wins.
In the summer of last year, he wanted to leave the club before his contract expired.
Indiscretions on the part of those responsible as well as the humiliating 2: 8 clap in the Champions League quarter-finals against FC Bayern had shaken Messi's trust in the club.
According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, a point of contention in the negotiations should be the signing of the 23-year-old Argentine international Cristian Romero, who is currently on loan from Juventus Turin to Atalanta Bergamo. According to media reports, Tottenham Hotspur should have been faster.