Lionel Messi’s Emotional Barcelona Farewell

Sports

Outgoing Barcelona FC star Lionel (Leo) Messi has made an emotional exit from the football club that has nurtured his career since the age of 13.

At a press conference held at Barcelona’s home ground, the Camp Nou, Messi fronted the media with his wife and three sons sitting in the front row. Messi’s wife, Antonella, handed him a tissue as he wiped tears from his cheeks before making his opening remarks.

As his former teammates watched, joined by media, Messi opened with, “I’ve been thinking, giving lots of thought to what I could say, and the truth is, I can’t think of anything. This is really difficult for me after so many years, being here my entire life. I’m not ready for this.”

This statement contrasts with what we heard last season when it was first rumoured he wanted to quit the club.

He even states that he was thinking of leaving the club before his change of heart. “We did everything we could because I wanted to stay. Last year, I didn’t want to stay, and I said it, and this year I wanted to stay, and I couldn’t.”

After his opening statement, Messi was given a standing ovation by his family and those in attendance. The moment caused h

im to burst into tears, which he had to wipe away to recover himself to take questions from the media.

He was initially asked to reflect on the best moment during his career at the club; he responded, “When I made my debut, that was my dream come true, and everything that came later was amazing. But I’ll always remember the moment that everything started.”

Messi made his senior team debut in 2004 at the age of 17, in a 1-0 win against Espanyol. 

The reason why Messi is leaving the club now is due to La Liga’s fair play financial rules. FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta announced in a previous press conference, “Leo wanted to stay, and the Club wanted him to stay, but with the La Liga rules, it has not been possible. To comply with the league’s fair play regulations, we had to accept an agreement that mortgaged the Club’s TV right for half a century, and FC Barcelona is above everything else.”

Even though both parties wanted to continue the relationship, it was not financially possible due to the club’s financial state, Laporta added: “I want to explain that we have received a terrible inheritance from the previous board, which means that salaries at the Club represent 110% of income. There is no room to manoeuvre, and the La Liga fair play financial rules mark the limits.”

When asked whether he could’ve reduced the cost of his contract to keep within fair play regulations, Messi answered, “I offered to reduce my salary by 50%, and then they didn’t ask me for anything else. The news that I asked for 30% more is a lie. I did everything I could, and it wasn’t possible.”

The next big question is, where will Messi play next season? He answered this, saying, “I’ve got nothing confirmed with anybody. Honestly, when the press release was published, I had a lot of calls, a lot of clubs that are interested. At the minute, I’ve not got anything closed, but we’re talking about a lot of things.”

This statement seems to contradict an NBC sports report, which claims he will be joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain, to be announced next Tuesday. If he were to make the move to PSG, that would link him with former Barcelona teammate Neymar. 

Messi’s accomplishments at Barcelona are numerous, having won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies, three Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, eight Spanish Super Cups, and scoring 672 goals for the club.

Below is an image of one of the Champions League Trophies housed at FC Barcelona’s home ground, the Camp Nou. 

For Barcelona, moving forward without Messi will be a tough adjustment; however, he gave the following message of support to the club: “Barca is one of the best teams in the world; they’ve got an amazing lineup. Like Laporta said, this club is more important than any one person; people will get used to it.”