Lionel Messi leaves Barcelona

The Spanish football club Barcelona did not renew the contract with the Argentine striker Lionel Messi. This was reported on the club's website.

In a statement, Barcelona said that the club and Messi were going to sign a new contract on August 5, but were unable to formalize the contract "due to economic and structural obstacles related to the rules of La Liga" (quoted by Sports.ru ) .

“Both sides are very sorry that the wishes of the player and the club did not become a reality,” Barcelona said.

• The 34-year-old Messi has played for Barcelona throughout his professional career. He has represented the club since 2000 and has played for the first team since 2003. Together with Barcelona, ​​Messi won the Spanish Championship 10 times, the Spanish Cup and Super Cup seven times, and the Champions League four times.
• Messi is a six-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, the prize for the best football player of the year according to the weekly France Football.
• In the summer of 2020, Messi tried to leave Barcelona, ​​taking advantage of the right to leave the club without compensation. The Barcelona management felt that he was late in notifying the club of this and demanded compensation in the amount of 700 million euros for the early termination of the contract. After that, Messi agreed to stay for one more season.