Barcelona have confirmed that Lionel Messi will leave the La Liga club after 20 years.
This is as the Argentine superstar failed to reach an agreement on a new deal with the club after a crunch meeting on Thursday.
Messi has spent his entire career at Barcelona, coming through the club’s academy before going on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances after making his senior debut in 2004.
The club made this known in a statement on its website titled, ‘Leo Messi not staying at FC Barcelona’, on Thursday.
The statement read, “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.”
