Messi to leave Barcelona after 20 years

Lionel Messi will end his 20-year career with Barcelona after the Argentine superstar and the Spanish giants were unable to overcome “economic and structural obstacles” to a new deal.

• The announcement on Thursday that a player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time is on the market will spark a scramble for his signature, with wealthy Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City potentially in the frame.
• Barcelona had been expected to announce that the 34-year-old six-time Ballon d’Or winner would stay. But in a statement the club informed negotiations had broken down.
• “Although an agreement has been reached between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi it cannot be formalized due to economic and structural obstacles,” the statement said. “Faced with this situation, Lionel Messi will not be staying at Barcelona. Both sides deeply regret that the wishes of both the player and the club cannot come true.”
• “FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandizement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.”
• Lionel Messi who signed his first contract with Barcelona in 2000 on a napkin when he was just 13 has been a free agent since June 30 when his old agreement expired.
• Messi has spent 21 years at Barcelona after joining them. He progressed through their academy and made his senior competitive debut at the age of 17 in October 2004 against Espanyol.
• Messi has made 778 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 672 goals which have helped to secure 10 league titles, four Champions Leagues and three Club World Cups among his haul of 35 trophies. He has won the Ballon d’Or six times, the Champions League four times and La Liga ten times with Barcelona. Messi, now 34, has also won the Copa del Rey seven times.

Messi himself has yet to comment regards this issue. Last month the Argentine forward finally landed a major international trophy with his country when they beat rivals Brazil to win the Copa America.