feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

A year ago, if somebody would’ve said that Messi will leave Barcelona and join PSG, it would’ve sounded outlandish. And that’s exactly what has happened. Lionel Messi sent shockwaves across the world when he recently joined French giants PSG from Barcelona on a free transfer. The ex Barcelona no 10 had spent 21 years at the Catalonian club and his departure was a very emotional affair. Addressing the messy situation of the club, the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, recently spoke to Esport 3 on Messi playing for PSG and the economic situation of the club.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

article-image

Reuters

Barca is eternally grateful to Lionel Messi

Laporta had previously mentioned that if the cash-strapped club was in a better economic position, they would not have let Messi go. Unfortunately, they had losses of 481 million euros and debt adding up to 1.35 billion euros. Due to this, they had to reluctantly let Messi go. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Talking about Messi and his importance for the club, Laporta said, “We have an eternal gratitude to Messi. It has been a beautiful and successful relationship, but it is the law of life.” 

ADVERTISEMENT

Laporta is unhappy to see Messi playing for PSG

article-image

Reuters

Messi joining the Paris-based club certainly left a bad impression in the minds of Barca supporters. Laporta echoed similar sentiments of sorrow seeing a club legend joining their European rivals. When asked about his reaction to seeing Messi in a PSG kit, Laporta said, “It’s a contradictory feeling to see him come up with PSG. I saw his debut with PSG and it was strange to see him at another team, rivals [of Barcelona]; I did not like seeing him in another shirt. I wish Messi all the best, I like to see him happy. And now maybe we’re going to be rivals and we’re going to have to fit in.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch Story: Breathtaking Tennis From 18-Year-Old Sensation at Us Open 2021

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Suresh Menon

624 Articles

Suresh Menon is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports with over 400 articles to his name. Being an ace defender back in his school days, Suresh grew up admiring the famed ‘BBC’ of Juventus which is why the Italian club is his favorite. His love for soccer from an early age combined with his flair for communication is the reason why he decided to pursue sports journalism at ES. He pursued his BMM degree with specialization in advertising which makes him an effective communicator with a sense of commerce. Beyond soccer, in his free time, he is a podcast host and likes spending time solving the Rubik’s cube.

Know more

ADVERTISEMENT