Barcelona has confirmed Lionel Messi has left the club, after expressing his public desire to leave 12 months ago. His exit ends his historic tenure at the Nou Camp. Messi, who won six Ballon d’Or awards during his time at the Nou Camp, is widely regarded as one of the best players ever.
According to report, Messi walked out for free at the age of 34 after failing to reach an agreement with the club over his new contract. He has been in negotiations over a new deal for some time before announcing his exit. However, due to the club’s financial situation, they were unable to register him as a player, leading to an impasse. Consequently, Barcelona has lost one of their best players.
Shortly after news of Messi’s possible exit surfaced on social media, Barca confirmed the news with a brief statement on their website. Here’s Barca’s statement in full.
“Despite having reached an agreement between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi and with the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, it cannot be formalized due to economic and structural obstacles (Spanish LaLiga regulations).
“Given this situation, Lionel Messi will not continue linked to FC Barcelona.
“Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of both the player and the Club cannot finally be fulfilled.
“Barça would like to thank with all its heart the player’s contribution to the enhancement of the institution and wishes him the best in his personal and professional life.”
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga and European league season (21) and the Copa América (17). He has scored over 750 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals ever by a player for a single club.
