Argentina striker Lionel Messi on Sunday confirmed that his signing with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain remains a possibility, but nothing is certain at the moment.
The maverick striker confirmed the end of his 21-year stint with Spanish club Barcelona on Sunday and he was left in tears while bidding adieu to the club.
“Paris Saint-Germain is a possibility, yes. At the moment nothing is confirmed, I received lot of calls after the Barcelona statement. We’re talking about it,” Goal.com quoted Messi as saying.
Talking about his stint with Barcelona, Messi said: “After 21 years I’m leaving with my three Catalan Argentine kids. We’ve lived in this city, this is our home. I’m just really grateful for everything, all my teammates, everyone who has been by my side. I gave everything for this club from the first day I arrived to the last. I never imagined having to say goodbye as I didn’t think about it. What’s clear is I did everything possible, and they (Barca) couldn’t do it because of La Liga.”
“A lot of things have been said about me, but on my behalf, we did everything I could because I wanted to stay. Last year I didn’t want to stay and I said it. This year I did and I couldn’t. I love this club. Without seeing the fans for over a year and a half has been very hard. If I had imagined it [his leaving speech] I would’ve imagined the Camp Nou full and being able to say goodbye properly.”
In what came as one of the biggest news in the football world, Messi left FC Barcelona, earlier this week. As per the club, the reason behind the exit is the financial and structural obstacles.
Despite Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract on Thursday, this cannot happen because of Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration as per the club statement.
As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled, the statement further said.
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” it said as per fcbarcelona.com.
Earlier it was reported Messi was all set to sign a new five-year contract with Spanish club Barcelona. Along with signing a new deal, Messi would also be taking a 50 per cent wage cut, Goal.com had reported.
The report had said Messi agreed to take a cut on his yearly earnings in order to re-sign for Barcelona, and the club would make a formal announcement in the coming weeks.
Messi has spent his entire career with Barcelona after signing on with the club in 2004. His contract expired in June this year, but he was set to sign a new deal with the Catalan side.
