Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi will hold a press conference on Sunday at the Camp Nou in Barcelona after his unexpected departure, the La Liga club said.
Messi will speak at 1000 GMT after Barcelona announced on Thursday that the 34-year-old would leave the club, despite both parties in a new deal, citing economic and structural issues in renewing the contract.
Messi, who joined Barca’s 13-year-old youth set-up, is the leading scorer and looks to have scored 672 goals in 778 games in all competitions.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Friday the club had been forced to let star player Messi leave because his huge salary in line with La Liga’s tight financial rules could jeopardize his future.
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Messi wanted to sign a new contract with Barcelona on reduced terms, reportedly 50% less than his current salary, but the club could not find a compliance with La Liga’s financial rules.
Messi’s final contract, signed in 2017, was the most successful sport in the world, according to a January report in the newspaper El Mundo. Forbes played him as the world’s second-ranked athlete in 2021, for $ 130 million.
Messi, who helped Barcelona win ten league titles, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups, officially completed his 21-year stint with the club at the end of June and is currently a free agent following the expiration of his previous contract.
The French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Friday that Messi was keen to join Paris St Germain, with club manager Mauricio Pochettino also saying Argentina was “the way” to be tested.
Messi has also been linked with a move to Manchester City, but manager Pep Guardiola has said Premier League champions have no plans to move him.
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Some observers believe that the announcement of Messi’s departure from Barca actually calls La Liga courage in financial terms.
