Messi bids farewell to Barcelona after 21 years, in tears and to loud applause

After two decades, he had to say, ” Goodbye, Barcelona.” During a press conference at the Camp Nou shortly after noon on Sunday, Lionel Messi said an emotional farewell to the club where he has played his entire professional career so far, and did not even shed a tear.

He appeared before the people three days after the Catalan club announced in a shocking statement that the Argentine footballer would no longer be part of it. The end of one of the most glorious eras that will forever be indelibly etched in football history was in sight.

Yet, as is well known, a celebration was planned for that very day. Messi had agreed everything with Barcelona regarding a new contract and few suspected that things could go wrong.

The legendary striker himself was no different. “My new contract was ready. Everything was ready. I wanted to stay. We were at home with my family and were convinced that we would continue to live in Barcelona,” admitted the 34-year-old striker.

“It’s terribly difficult for me after so many years, I’ve been here slowly all my life. I’m not ready for this, but today I have to say goodbye,” Messi continued his emotional speech.

One day I will help Barcelona become the best club in the world

“I have been here since I was 13 years old and after twenty-one years I am leaving with my wife and my three Catalan-Argentine children. And I can tell you that in a few years we will want to come back because this is our home,” he told LM10.

He also admitted that he had pictured his farewell to the club, if one was ever to come, quite differently: “I imagined that if it ever had to come, it would be with the team on the pitch and in front of the people. Instead, I played my last season in empty stadiums.”

“I hope that one day I can come back and be part of Barcelona in any way I can to help it become the best club in the world,” Messi declared up front, no doubt at least pleasing many a grieving Blaugranas supporter.

Barcelona’s finest moment?

Tough question, but the legendary LM10 did find one: “Maybe my debut. It was a dream come true. Everything that came after was amazing, but if there’s one moment I’ll always remember, it’s probably the one when it all started.”

“It’s going to be a difficult change now, especially for my family who expected us to stay in the city,” Messi admitted, repeating a line he had uttered many times throughout the conference, ” I didn’t want to leave, Barcelona is a club I love.”

This was followed by another interesting question – how will the team fare without the best goal scorer in its history? “Barcelona is one of the best teams in the world, it has an amazing squad. As Joan Laporta said, this club is more important than any man,” Messi responded with peace of mind.

He blamed La Liga, like the club itself, for his departure. In his own words, he did everything he could, just like Barcelona, but the contract simply could not be completed.

“I heard from some that I didn’t want to continue. But I swear on my life that we did the absolute maximum because I wanted to stay here,” added the scorer of 672 competitive goals.

What’s next?

And he’s sure to add to the list. “I’m going to play football as long as I can,” he said in the hall in front of coach Koeman and his current teammates.

The question still remains where. “PSG is an option. I haven’t agreed anything with anyone yet. I’ve had a lot of phone calls, a lot of teams are interested and we’re talking about a number of things.”

At least that’s how Messi himself put it. But according to virtually all the world’s media, he’s almost done. The Argentine is set to sign a 2-year contract with the Parisian outfit, with a one-year option and a salary of £25 million.

L’Equipe even reports that he is due to undergo a medical on Sunday evening or the next morning, with a big gala at the Eiffel Tower planned for Tuesday.

Sources: BBC, Sky Sports, Marca