Lionel Messi tearfully confirmed on Sunday that he will be leaving FC Barcelona after the club said he could no longer afford the Argentine’s high wages, adding that he had a potential with French club Paris St. Germain Negotiated change.
The French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Sunday that the Argentine will travel to the French capital either on Sunday or Monday to undergo a medical examination and sign his contract with the Qatar Sports Investment club.
While Messi didn’t confirm that he would definitely join the Parisians, he said his plans were to keep playing for as long as possible.
“As long as I’m competitive and my body is reacting (I’ll keep playing),” he said at a press conference.
“As long as I can, I will compete.”
“I’ve tried to behave with humility and respect and I hope that will stay with me when I leave the club,” said an emotional Messi, as hundreds of fans, many of them wearing his number 10 shirt, gathered outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the player they called the Messiah.
The 34-year-old, who has been with the club for 21 years and became the top scorer at 682, burst into tears before a speech and was greeted with long standing ovations by the media, current and former team, comrades and coaches present.
Messi said he believes he will stay at the club, with a five-year contract agreeing a 50% pay cut, only to make a surprise U-turn late last week.
“To be honest, when the elections were held (in March), I spoke to (club president Joan) Laporta, we had dinner and after that I was convinced that I would stay,” he said.
“My contract was never the problem … What I know is that I did everything I could. The club say it couldn’t happen because of La Liga. I can guarantee you that I did everything to stay. Last year I did I don’t want to and I said that, but this year it was different. “
All 35 trophies he won while at the club were put up for a private photo session after the press conference, which the club designated as a private photo session.
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