Tearful Messi says it’s over at Barca

Barcelona (Spain), Aug. 8: An emotional Lionel Messi confirmed on Sunday he is leaving Barcelona after 17 trophy-laden years, with Paris Saint Germain his likely next port of call for a career swansong.

“I have still not come to terms with the reality of leaving this club now — I love this club,” said a suited Messi, who several times wiped away tears before a squadron of reporters at the club’s Camp Nou ground who gave him a standing ovation.

Messi, widely considered the most gifted player in the history of the game, has won 35 trophies at the club which he joined as a 13-year-old — including four Champions Leagues and 10 league titles while his 672 goals are a record for any of the top five European leagues.

Despite offering to cut his salary by half to seal a new five-year deal which a club carrying debts of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) and player had agreed on, the agreement foundered on strict Spanish League salary restrictions.

Barca president Joan Laporta said he could not

“mortgage” the club’s future on any player — not even Messi.

Previously Messi had been earning over 70 million euros ($82.3m) a year net — but financial observers of the Spanish game estimate he pulled in around twice as much in commercial revenue, accounting for almost onethird of total incomings and eight in ten shirt sales.

Messi tried to engineer his departure last year, fed up with some underwhelming recent Champions League showings.

But he stayed and stressed on Sunday that he and his family had wanted to continue in Catalonia rather than embark on a likely reunion with former clubmate Neymar at PSG — ostensibly the only club that can afford him with Manchester City having already said they will not make a move for his services.

“I would’ve liked to have won another Champions League. I don’t regret anything, I tried to give my best and I’m ending my career here with a good number of titles,” said Messi.