Tearful Lionel Messi bids goodbye to Barcelona; and leaves FC Barcelona
Despite Real Madrid and Messi reaching an agreement and their clear intention to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles. 3 days ago Barcelona president explains that Messi wanted to STAY and that he had an agreement to stay but unfortunately, because of La Liga rules they can’t proceed.
Messi, who has been a free agent since his contract expired at Camp Nau on June 30, had maintained his silence since Barca announced on Thursday that he will not sign new terms because of financial problems.
Since the news of his departure broke out the Argentina forward received many calls for several clubs but many sources claims that his next destination would be probably the Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG have sent the official contract bid to Leo Messi and his father Jorge, and Messi is sent to join the French side on a two years contract ,agreement confirmed soon. Paris Saint-Germain are offering two years and one year option to extend the agreement until June 2024 €35m salary net per season.
Leo Messi is ready to accept ,he’ll sign with PSG once details will be fixed. He could be presented at an event at the Eiffel Tower in the coming days. Asked about the prospect of joining a rival, he added: “There is no doubt that I will go to a team that will compete with Barca. I didn’t want to leave, but I have to. And I want to keep winning. That’s my mentality. I want to win.”
Messi said a photograph of him with several PSG players in the Spanish island resort of Ibiza last week, including Neymar and Angel Di Maria, was just a coincidence, although he said they did joke about him moving to Paris.
Instead, in an event at the auditorium to the side of Camp Nou attended by the board, the first-team squad and his family, Messi insisted he had done everything possible to stay at Barca.
“I am really sad because I didn’t want to leave because this is the club I love,” he said. “I didn’t expect this. I have never lied; I have always been honest and upfront. Last year I wanted to leave; this year I didn’t. That’s why I am so sad.
He wrote a farewell message on social media which read: “I would have liked to leave in another way, although I suppose that a farewell can never be something nice. I would have loved to continue here, I did everything with that objective and in the end it did not happen.
“I only have words of thanks for all those who have accompanied me in so many years at the club. And for our fans, that they gave me all their love and that I tried to give it back to them, also giving everything for this shirt. I’m leaving but it’s not goodbye, just see you later. Visca el Barça!”
Messi also lamented that he had been unable to say goodbye on the pitch with the fans chanting his name, bemoaning that his last 18 months at the club have been played in empty stadiums due to the pandemic.
“Without a doubt, this is the most difficult time of my career,” Messi added at the news conference. “I have had a lot of tough moments, but the other day, [learning I was] not going back to training, not going to be on the pitch again, that this is the end with this club, yes, it’s one of the most difficult moments for me.
“This year is different from last year [when I wanted to leave]. My family and I were convinced we were going to stay, that’s what we wanted more than anything. We are at home here. Now I have to say goodbye to all of this. I have been here since I was 13. After 21 years, I am leaving with my wife, with my three little Catalan-Argentine kids. I can’t say that we won’t come back in some way because this is our home and I promised my children we would.”