'Cried when Messi left; for Barcelona and fans, Lionel was like God': Gerard Pique

Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona was one of the most shocking moments for football fans around the world. The departure of the talisman player left a huge void and also brought an end to the Messi era. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has revealed his feelings following Messi's exit from the club.

Gerard Pique reveals getting emotional over Lionel Messi's departure

Lionel Messi decided to make a move from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) during the summer of 2021 after the La Liga giants could not afford to offer him a new contract. In a recent interview, Pique showered praise on his former teammate. While speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, he said," I cried when Messi left Barcelona. I cried for him. For the career he had at Barca, it would have been great if he had stayed until the end of his career at the club. I can understand why Messi couldn’t renew. The club was suffering a lot economically because of the past president and how he managed the club".

"At the end of the day, these are things that happen in life. Sometimes you make a decision and things don’t work out. For Barcelona and the fans Messi was like a God, it would have been great if he stayed.” He further added: “Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the game. Messi was Barcelona’s best player. I’ve always said that we had Messi to win titles, but we also had to have a good team. A single player cannot win titles.”

Lionel Messi's Barcelona transfer to PSG 

Lionel Messi signed a PSG contract worth €35 million per season for two years and it included bonuses with an option to extend it to June 2024. Messi had spent his entire career at Barcelona, coming through the club's academy before going on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances after making his senior debut in 2003. Following Messi's arrival, PSG were hailed dot be the best team and were onbe of the favourites to lift the European crown. While the team was able to capture the Ligue 1 title they once again failed dot lift the Champions League crown after being knocked out early.  The 34-year-old  provided 13 assists to help the club regain the Ligue 1 title.