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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘I never thought of it’: The Goat Messi bids tearful goodbye to FC Barcelona

MADRID – Argentinian star player and all-time leading goalscorer Lionel Messi started crying before speaking at the farewell presser as he finally breaks silence on leaving FC Barcelona after more than 2 decades.

A tearful Six-time Ballon d’Or winner confirmed that he was leaving the Spanish football club after FC Barcelona said ‘it could no longer afford to pay his high wages without jeopardizing its future.’

The grief-stricken star footballer said the decision was the ‘most difficult’ moment of his career as he reveals that Spanish football league La Liga would not allow him to renew the contract with the team. Messi was seen in tears and he could not stop crying with a tissue in his hands and spotted wiping his tears away as he spent his whole professional career in the club.

Speaking about the ‘heart wrenching’ moment, he said “I never thought of it, in recent days I’ve given lots of thought to what I could say and the truth is that I can’t think of anything”.

The teary football star went on to say that “Now, I have to say goodbye to all of this. I’ve been here my entire life, since I was 13. After 21 years I’m leaving with my wife, with my three little Catalan-Argentine kids. I can’t promise you we won’t come back because this is my home and I promised my children that.”

“This is really difficult for me after so many years, being here my entire life, I’m not ready for this and honestly last year with all the nonsense with the burofax I was convinced I knew what I wanted to say but this year is not the same”, he mentioned saying “he gave everything for Barcelona from the first day until he left”.

Expressing gratitude over the massive respect he got from the fans, he said “I gave everything for this club for this shirt. I’m so grateful for the care that people have shown me. I’ve never imagined having to say goodbye because I never thought of it.”

He also expressed a desire to announce the farewell in Camp Nou, a football stadium in Barcelona, saying “it was difficult to leave without seeing spectators who cannot attend the stadium due to the Covid. If I had imagined it, I would’ve imagined the full and being able to say goodbye properly.”

Reports in international media cited that the negotiations between the star player and Barcelona failed due to ‘financial obstacles’ while the incumbent administration blamed Spanish La Liga’s financial fair play regulations.

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old has two other potential options but Paris Saint-Germain remains his favorites to pick among all. The Paris-based club has offered Messi an initial two-year deal, thought to be worth £25 million a year after tax, per reports.

Messi, aka The Greatest of All Time, joined Barcelona aged 13 and went on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances for the Spanish club. He bagged La Liga a staggering 10 times and the Champions League four times.

Stars and soccer fans have paid tribute to Messi following his departure from FC Barcelona.

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