The Spanish club Barcelona officially announced the departure of team captain Lionel Messi in a "shocking" statement on Thursday evening. The official statement from Barcelona read: "Although the club and player reached an agreement and had a clear intention to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen due to financial and structural obstacles and the regulations of La Liga."
The statement continued: "As a result of this situation, Messi will not remain at FC Barcelona. Both parties are deeply sorry that the wishes of the player and the club cannot be fulfilled in the end."
"FC Barcelona expresses its sincere gratitude to the player for his contributions to the club and wishes him all the best in his future personal and professional life."
According to Spanish sources, La Liga imposes a salary cap on players, with Barcelona's salary limit set at 350 million euros per year, which must not be exceeded. This proved to be an insurmountable obstacle, particularly given Messi's enormous salary and the club's failure to offload other high-paid stars.
