Lionel Messi has finally left Barcelona, after 16 years in the first team.
There was an agreement between the club and the player to continue the cooperation for another five years, but its registration has been impossible due to the financial aspect.
The president of the Catalan giant, Joan Laporta, also spoke about Messi’s departure from Barcelona at a press conference.
Laporta was seen excited as he initially spoke about Barcelona’s catastrophic problems with finances.
“I am here to explain the situation with Messi. Unfortunately we have inherited a catastrophic legacy. The salary bill represents 110% of the club income. We have no salary difference. “We knew it when we arrived at the club.”
“The numbers that were presented after the audit, are much more than what they had told us and what we had predicted based on official figures. The projected losses are very high, the projected debts are high.
“There is no differential salary. To be in line with “La Liga Fair-Play”, we had to accept a La Liga deal that mortgaged for half a century the television rights of a club with a history of 120 years in this League.
“A club that is above all. With the players, the best in the world, the president and everything. I could not afford that TV rights loan. “The club is above the players, even if it is the best in the world.”
The president of Barcelona further said that Messi’s wish was to stay at Barcelona, as well as the club for the Argentine to remain.
“Leo’s renewal included accepting an operation that is not interesting for Barça. I want it to be clear that Leo wanted to stay, and so did we. There comes a time when in a negotiation you have to stand up, analyze things rigorously and in figures. The La Liga rule may be more flexible, but that is no excuse because we already knew. “Sad, but I think we have done our best for Barça.”