Thunderbolt in the football world: Barça announces Messi's departure
Lionel Messi, at the FC Barcelona training center, in September 2020. LLUIS GENE AFP / Archives
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4 min
If this is not a final push, and it absolutely does not look like it, then it is a revolution for the football world.
FC Barcelona announced Thursday, August 5, 2021, that the best player in its history, Lionel Messi, will leave the Catalan club.
The Argentine is therefore free to end his career where he sees fit.
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Barça affirms it, the Pulga will not extend!
The Blaugranas made this shocking announcement this Thursday in a press release (
see here
): "
Although an agreement has been found between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi (...), it cannot be formalized due to economic obstacles and structural.
"
The Catalan club points to the La Liga salary cap rules, which would prevent the contract from being validated by one of the two best players in the world of the past 20 years.
“
Faced with this situation, Lionel Messi will not remain linked to FC Barcelona.
Both sides deeply regret that the wishes of both the player and the club cannot come true.
"
And the training club of the legendary number 10 of the Blaugranas, but also of the Albiceleste - the Argentine selection -, to thank "
with all my heart the player for his contribution to the institution
".
Before wishing his legend “
the best for his personal and professional life
”.
Thank you, Leo.
pic.twitter.com/cdS9xWe8Me
- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 5, 2021
The 34-year-old captain therefore left the ship.
He officiated there since his childhood.
In addition to 20 professional seasons spent in Catalonia, he notably won four Champions League titles, ten Spanish championships and six Golden Balls.
He also leaves his name at the top of the list of the best scorers in the history of the team, of which he is also the most capped element ahead of Xavi.
Lionel Messi has so far spent his entire career in his training club.
So no one could have imagined that such a dense story would end like this.
Especially with his country, the Argentine star
had ended up winning
his first Copa America this year.
The World Cup is therefore the only major trophy missing from its record.
778 games
672 goals
305 assists
10x La Liga
7x Copa del Rey
7x Supercopa de España
4x UEFA Champions League
3x UEFA Super Cup
3x Club World Cup
6x Ballon d'Or
6x European Golden Shoe
6x La Liga Best Player
IT'S OVER 😭 pic.twitter. com / gmsvcw9xxl
- Leo Messi 🔟 (@WeAreMessi) August 5, 2021
FC Barcelona is coming out of a disappointing 2020-2021 season, completed with, as a sole comfort, a victory in the King's Cup.
But despite serious financial difficulties, the flagship club of Catalan football, constrained by Spanish financial fair play, has done everything to retain its genius and chase its desires elsewhere, recurring for some time.
Lionel Messi seemed ready to halve his salary and extend for five seasons, according to the Spanish press.
Never mind, he will have to find a new point of fall.
There will be no shortage of candidates: it is not every day that one of the best players in the history of the round ball is found free from any commitment in the market.
Last year, during a
previous soap opera
which this time ended well with Barça, the press had mentioned the interest of Manchester City, a team led by a man who once coached Leo Messi, namely Pep Guardiola.
It remains to be seen what the attitude of the competition will be.
We are of course thinking, in particular, of Paris Saint-Germain.
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