Lionel Messi has officially confirmed his departure from Barcelona after 21 years of service. Messi flooded the emotions of football fans by arriving at the news conference with tears in his eyes on Sunday (August 8). The little magician wanted to continue his career with Barcelona when Joan Laporta took over as president earlier this year. However, the Argentine superstar will not be able to sign a new deal with FC Barcelona due to La Liga’s financial and structural obstacles. Lionel Messi confirmed his exit from Barcelona during the press conference, despite the fact that he expressed his desire to stay.
Highlights of Lionel Messi’s Press Conference
Lionel Messi addressed his farewell to everyone at the start of the press conference. Later, he responded to a variety of media questions. Here are a few highlights of Messi’s press conference.
On leaving FC Barcelona
Messi feels that this is the right time to leave Barcelona, but he has promised that he would return in a few years. He is really pleased with what he has accomplished with this club.
On signing a new contract
Messi has indicated that adjusting to life after Barcelona will be difficult. He had made up his mind to stay with the club for a few more years.He also revealed that everything was finalized, but that the deal could not be completed due to the pay structure in La Liga.
Message to his teammates
In a message to his teammates, Lionel Messi expressed gratitude to everyone who had assisted him in his development as a player. He also claimed that he did his best to treat everyone with respect.
On Barcelona Supporters
Lionel Messi was also lamented for not being able to say his final goodbyes in front of tens of thousands of Barcelona supporters. He wanted to share his final thoughts in front of Barcelona’s most ardent supporters.
In the context of reminiscing for Barcelona
Lionel Messi feels that Barcelona is still the finest club in the world and that he had really enjoyed his time with the club. Messi promised that he will return one day and help Barcelona in their progress.
On his best moment with FC Barcelona
Messi had so many wonderful moments with FC Barcelona. However, he picked his debut match as his favorite.
The most difficult moment in his football career
Lionel Messi believes that leaving FC Barcelona is the most difficult decision he has ever made in his professional career. He has his rough moments, but leaving Barcelona is really difficult for him.
Regarding Barcelona without Messi
Messi is confident that FC Barcelona will continue to be one of the most successful clubs in the world, and therefore that supporters will become used to seeing Barcelona without Lionel Messi. Because Messi feels that no one is more important than the club as well as its fans. Messi assures that his professional career should be ok soon since he will be accompanied by his family. He will always be up for a challenge.
Notable Record of Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona
Lionel Messi has a long list of accomplishments with FC Barcelona. Here are some of the notable ones.
Most Goals for a single club: 672
Most Trophies (Barcelona): 34
Most Appearances (Barcelona): 778
Most Goals (Barcelona): 709
Most La Liga Goals: 474
Most Goals for Barcelona (International competitions): 128
Most Goals for Barcelona (UEFA Champions League): 120
Most Goals in a Single Season (La Liga): 50
Most Braces in La Liga: 126
Most La Liga Hat-Tricks: 36
Most Assists in La Liga: 233
Most Goals in a Single Season: 73
Most Goals in a Calendar Year (Guinness World Records): 91
Most Ballon d’Or Awards: 6
Most La Liga Trophy (Barcelona Player): 10
Most Champions League (Barcelona Player): 4
Bottom Line
Barcelona held this event to officially bid Lionel Messi farewell. The football great responded to a variety of questions from journalists during the half-hour program. He confirmed that he wanted to leave the club last year, but President Josep Maria Bartomeu was adamant about not selling Messi to any European rivals.
Therefore, Messi had to stay at the club for another year. Lionel Messi appeared to be overcome with emotion several times during the press meeting and stated that he had no plans to leave Barcelona this season. He also agreed to lower his salary by 50% to show his dedication to Barcelona. Accordingly, the two parties reached a verbal agreement but it was not possible to put it into action at the last minute.
Source: United News of Bangladesh