Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wants to leave the club after nearly two decades with the Spanish giants.

The club confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday that the Argentine sent a document expressing his desire to leave.

Advertisements

Messi has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards during his time at Barcelona as the top player in the world, and has helped the club win 10 Spanish league titles and four Champions Leagues.

Last week, Barcelona’s new head coach Ronald Koeman said he wanted Messi to remain at the club.

Advertisements

Koeman said: “I don’t know if I have to convince Messi (to stay). Of course he is the best player in the world and you want the best player in the world in your team – you don’t want him playing against you.

“For me as a coach, I would love to work with Messi because he wins matches. If he is at the ability and the level he has always shown, I would be more than happy for him to stay.

Advertisements

“He’s still got a contract and he is still a Barcelona player. There are some older players in the team and we need to make some decisions but in Messi’s case, I hope that he stays with us.”

Barcelona has fought back, however, claiming the clause that allows hi walk away for free, expired in June.

Advertisements

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.