Tobias Sylvester
Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi has ended his glittering career at Camp Nou after spending two decades of his entire career with the Spanish giants, with whom he won six Ballon d’Or.
The Argentina star, who has spent his entire career at Barcelona since after joining the club as a kid in 2000, has officially been a free agent since July 1, 2021 after he failed to agree terms over a renewal before his previous contract expired on June 30.
The 34-year-old football star was expected to sign a new five-year contract with the Catalan club, which would have seen his salary reduced by 50 per cent.
But due to their huge financial problems, that has not been possible as Messi failed to reach an agreement on a new deal with the club after a crunch meeting on Thursday, August 5, 2021.
Leo Messi Not Staying At Barcelona
In a statement on Thursday evening, Barcelona announced that Messi will no longer be associated with the club after the Spanish giants were unable to fulfil a new contract that had been agreed with the player due to “financial and structural obstacles”.
“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).
“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” the statement read.
How Messi Joined Barcelona
Born and raised in central Argentina, Lionel Messi relocated to Spain to join Barcelona at age 13, after joining the Spanish giants in 2000 at the age of 13.
Messi has spent 21 years at Barcelona after making his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. He thereafter came through the club’s academy before making his senior debut in 2003. He went on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances for the Spanish giants.
The Argentina football icon has won the Ballon d’Or six times, the Champions League four times, and La Liga ten times with Barcelona. He recently won the Copa America with Argentina this summer on the international stage.
KanyiDaily recalls that last year Lionel Messi submitted a request to leave Barcelona, but his request was denied and the Argentina star announced that he’ll remain at Barca till June 2021.
