Soccer Tearful Messi confirms he is leaving Barcelona, ​​in talks with PSG

BARCELONA, Aug 8 (Reuters) – A tearful Lionel Messi confirmed on Sunday that he was leaving FC Barcelona after the club said they could no longer afford the Argentinian’s high salaries, adding that he was in negotiations with French club Paris St Germain over a possible move.

French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Sunday that the Argentine will travel to the French capital on Sunday or Monday to undergo a medical examination and finalize his deal with the club owned by Qatar Sports Investment.

Although Messi has not confirmed that he will definitely join the Parisians, he said his intention is to keep playing for as long as possible, adding that he still has the ambition to win another Ligue des Trophy. champions.

“As long as I continue to be competitive and my body responds (I will continue to play),” he said at a press conference.

“As long as I can, I will continue to compete.”

HUMILITY AND RESPECT

“I have tried to behave with humility and respect and I hope this is what will be left with me when I leave the club,” said an emotional Messi as hundreds of fans, many of whom wore his No 10, gathered outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the player they called the Messiah.

“It’s like a bucket of cold water has been poured over me and we’re still accepting it,” he said in tears.

“When I get home I’m sure it will be even worse. But I will be surrounded by my loved ones and I will continue to play football, and when I do, I am sure it will get a little easier.”

FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

It had been widely reported by local media that Messi was to stay at Camp Nou, with the player admitting he had agreed to a five-year deal involving a 50% pay cut.

Barca, whose debts total more than one billion euros ($ 1.18 billion), were unable to make the deal work under the financial fair play regulations of the La Liga – which prompted his surprise U-turn announcement last Thursday.

“Honestly, when the elections took place (in March) I spoke with (Barca president Joan) Laporta, we had dinner and after that I was convinced that I would stay,” Messi said.

“My contract was never the problem … What I know is that I did everything I could. The club said it couldn’t happen because of La Liga. I can guarantee you that I did everything I could to stay. Last year I did. I don’t want to and I said it, but this year was different. “

La Liga announced last Wednesday that it had secured a € 2.7bn private equity injection from CVC, with the funds to be shared between clubs in exchange for 10% of the league’s revenue.

It was believed this would allow Barcelona to push through the deal with Messi, but after Real Madrid rejected the proposal and said they would take legal action against La Liga, Barca also spoke out against it.

Laporta told a press conference on Friday that the league had informed him that agreeing to the injection was the only way to approve a new contract for Messi and that he needed to put the club’s long-term interests ahead. any player.

RECORD BREAKER

Messi, 34, who has been at the club for 21 years, becoming their all-time goalscorer with 682, broke down in tears before delivering a speech and was greeted with a long standing ovation from the media, current and former team-mates and coaches. waiting for.

It was noted that he was not accompanied by Laporta or any of the other Barcelona directors during the act.

The 35 trophies he won during his time at the club were showcased for what the club described as a private photoshoot after the press conference.

(This story is passed on to change Joan’s spelling in par 13)

Reporting by Joseph Walker, Graham Keeley and Andrei Khalip, written by Andrei Khalip; edited by Christian Radnedge

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