Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer in Barcelona history and one of the
strongest ever, held a moving press conference on Sunday the day after the
announcement that he will change squad due to salary cap issues, linked to the
company's debts. "I did everything I could to stay but it wasn't
possible," said Messi, saying it was his greatest wish and giving partial
confirmation that he will play at French club Paris Saint-Germain next season, news not yet official but given
for sure by the most reliable sports journalists. In tears, Messi received a
lot of applause during the long press conference.
Messi's contract has expired, and under the
new financial rules of the Spanish Liga for Barcelona - full of debt - renewing
it would entail enormous problems, which according to club president Joan
Laporta would put the club in danger for fifty years. This despite Messi having
agreed to cut his salary by 50 percent.
"I never imagined having to say goodbye," said Messi, adding that he hopes to be able
to return sooner or later, "in any form." He defined the transfer to
PSG as "possible": according to the sports daily L'Équipe, he will
have medical examinations between tonight and tomorrow. Messi said he would
have liked to greet the fans in a full Camp
Nou - Barcelona's stadium - hundreds of them were still outside the
stadium, where the conference was held.
Messi was probably the strongest and most
successful player to remain tied for most of his career to a single club: with
Barcelona, in which he started in the youth academy more than twenty years
ago, he played 17 seasons, winning 4 Champions
League, 10 National Championships, 3 Club World Cups, 3 European Super Cups, 7 Spanish Cups, and 8 Spanish
Super Cups.