Barcelona: Messi’s tenure with club over

Lionel Messi’s time at Barcelona appears to be over.

Barcelona announced Thursday that Messi will not stay with the club, saying that the Spanish league’s financial regulations made it impossible to sign the Argentina star to a new contract.

In Messi’s previous contract, signed in 2017, he reportedly earned $163 million per season.

Messi, 34, will be leaving after 17 seasons and having won 35 titles. He helped the club win the Champions League four times, the Spanish league 10 times, the Copa del Rey seven times and the Spanish Super Cup eight times.

While with the club, Messi earned himself a record six Ballon d’or awards as the world’s top player. He’s the team’s all-time scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, and the top scorer in the Spanish league with 474 goals in 520 matches.

„ Premier League champ Manchester City broke the British transfer fee record to sign midfielder

Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. City paid a fee $139 million, the most ever by a Premier League club. The 25-year-old Grealish signed a six-year contract.

Golf: Former champ Harris English shot an opening-round 8-under 62 to match his lowest PGA Tour score and take a two-stroke lead at the St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee. English, 32, has two of his four career wins in 2021.

NBA: The Knicks and All-star F Julius Randle agreed to a four-year, $117 million contract extension that raises his deal’s total value to five years and $140 million, ESPN repored. Randle, 26, won the league’s most improved player award last season after helping lead the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season . ... Masai Ujiri, 51, the architect of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team, agreed to a new deal to become vice chairman and president of the team, ESPN reported. Financial details weren’t yet available.