In the presence of journalists and former and current Barça players, Messi will hold a press conference at the Camp Nou at 12pm Spanish time and 6am Haitian time. The former Blaugrana captain mentions PSG as a possible new target.
In the presence of former team-mates such as Puyol and Xavi, and a large number of current Barça players such as Gerrard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti and Griezmann, to name but a few, who made their presence felt at the Camp Nou this morning.
Barcelona fans are also out in force outside the stadium, expressing their displeasure at the announcement of the departure of their idol, Lionel Messi.
Black suit, white shirt, the Argentinian star takes the floor at 6.05am, tears in his eyes.
He begins: “I’m here today, I’m thinking about everything that’s happened here, and it’s with great emotion that I see you all here again, after all these years. It’s very impressive for me, and I knew what was going to happen.
“When I have to leave Barca, I think about my whole life here, since I arrived at the age of 13. After 21 years here, I’m leaving with my wife, as an Argentinean Catalan. It’ll be a few years before I come back. I promised my children I’d come back!
“I have to thank all those who have surrounded me. I’ve grown up here with the values of this club, I’ve learned how to be, how to grow. I’m close to everyone here. I’ve known a lot of very happy things, and others less so. All that has helped me to progress, to grow, to become the person I am today.”
“We haven’t been able to play with the public because of the pandemic in recent months. I missed hearing the ovations and the people shouting my name. I would have liked to be close to all those people to be able to say goodbye in better conditions, but that’s the way it is.
He goes on to talk about Paris Saint-Germain:
“It’s a possibility, but nothing’s settled, nothing’s finalized. There are several clubs interested in me, but for the moment anything is possible.
On the photo in Ibiza with several Parisian players: “It’s nothing. I was going to spend some time with Di Maria and Paredes, that was the plan. Neymar called to say he was also in Ibiza and we met up. We all got together and Verratti was there too. It’s just a photo of friends on vacation together, nothing more.
“I would have loved to win another Champions League with Barça. I have no regrets. I’ve always given the best of myself. I’ve achieved all the goals of my career here.”
” A lot of things I’ve said aren’t true. I’ve done my utmost to reduce my contract, and once again, we’ve done our utmost”
He concludes the conference, arguing that the most important thing is to tell everyone the truth, to a standing ovation from his team-mates present at the conference.
French daily L’ÉQUIPE reports that Messi is expected to visit PSG in the next 24 hours.
