Lionel Messi says 'never imagined saying goodbye' at farewell; will miss Barcelona & fans

Following the shocking announcement of Lionel Messi's departure from FC Barcelona, the Argentine legend addressed the media for the first time on Sunday. An emotional Messi revealed how he had never imagined that he would have had to bid farewell to a club where he has spent 21 years in this fashion. His exit was announced by club president Joan Laporta in a press conference on Thursday.

Lionel Messi: "I never imagined saying goodbye in this way"

Lionel Messi was in tears from the get-go while giving his press conference as his time at Barcelona was coming to an end after 21 years. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner began by saying, "I’ve been here for so many years — my entire life since I was 13. I’ll be leaving after 21 years. I’m grateful for everything, my teammates and so many people. I gave everything for this club, the shirt — from the first day I arrived."

Messi added that he was extremely grateful to the fans, who he could not see for the past year and a half because of the COVID pandemic. "I never imagined saying goodbye in this way. And not being able to do with fans. I leave this club without seeing the fans for more than a year and a half. Unfortunately, it has to be this way. I’m grateful for the love the fans showed," added the Argentine striker.

Lionel Messi: "I'm very sad, I did not want to leave this club"

Lionel Messi also opened up on how he was keen on staying at Barcelona this season and how it was different from last season when he asked to leave the club. "This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay here at home, it is what we wanted more than anything. A lot of things have been said about me, but on my behalf, we did everything we 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." Messi was unable to stay because of La Liga's financial fair play rules.

Lionel Messi discusses what is next for him

With perhaps the greatest player of all time exiting Barcelona, the obvious question asked to Lionel Messi was, 'What is next for him?' On being asked if he was joining PSG, Messi replied, "I have nothing confirmed with anybody, but it's one possibility. When the news was there, I had a lot of calls, but nothing is closed yet."