A tearful Lionel Messi confirmed on Sunday he was leaving FC Barcelona after the club said it could not afford to pay the Argentine’s high wages, adding he was in negotiations with French club Paris St Germain over a possible move.
French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Sunday that Argentina will visit the Paris either on Sunday or Monday to undertake a medical test and finalise his affect the Qatar Sports Investment-owned club.
While Messi didn’t confirm he would definitely join the Parisians, he said his plans were to hold on playing as long as possible, adding he still harbours ambitions to win another Champions League trophy.
“As long as i’m going on being competitive and as long as my body responds [I’ll keep it up playing],” he told a press conference .
“As long as I can, i will be able to keep it up competing.”
Humility and respect
“I tried to behave with humility and respect and that i hope that’s what remains of me once I leave the club,” said an emotional Messi as many fans, many wearing his No. 10 jersey, massed outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the player they called Messiah.
“This is all sort of a bucket of cold water has been poured over me and that we are still coming to terms with it,” he said through tears.
“When i buy home, I’m sure it’ll be even worse. But i will be surrounded by my loved ones and I’ll keep it up playing football, and once I do so, I’m sure it’ll become a touch easier.”
Financial issues
It had been widely reported by local media that Messi was set to remain at Camp Nou, with the player admitting he had agreed to a five-year deal involving a 50 per cent pay-cut.
Barca, whose debts total over one billion euros ($1.18 billion), were unable to form the deal work within the frameworks of los angeles Liga’s financial fair play regulations — prompting their surprise U-turn announcement last Thursday.
“Honestly, when the elections happened [in March], I spoke with [Barca president Joan] Laporta, we had dinner and then i used to be convinced i might be staying,” Messi said.
“My contract was never the difficulty … What i do know is that I did everything I could. The club says it couldn’t happen due to La Liga. I can guarantee you that I did everything I could to remain . Last year I didn’t want to and that i said that, but this year it had been different.”
La Liga announced last Wednesday that it had secured a personal equity injection of two .7bn euros from firm CVC, with the funds to be shared amongst the clubs reciprocally for 10pc of the league’s revenue.
It had been believed this is able to allow Barcelona to urge the Messi deal over the road , however, after Real Madrid rejected the proposal and said they might take action against La Liga, Barca also came out against it.
Laporta told a press conference on Friday that the league informed him that accepting this injection was the sole way they might approve a replacement contract for Messi which he had to place the long-term interests of the club above any player.
Record breaker
Messi, 34, who has been at the club for 21 years, becoming their all-time goalscorer with 682, broke down in tears before giving a speech and was greeted by a lengthy ovation from the media, current and former teammates and coaches attending .
It wasn’t iceable that he was not amid Laporta or any of the opposite Barcelona directors during the act.
All 35 trophies he won during his time at the club were laid out for what the club described would be a personal photo session after the press conference .
