BARCELONA (Reuters) - FC Barcelona fans were left reeling on Friday after the club announced that star striker Lionel Messi would be leaving the Camp Nou, where he has spent his entire professional career. It's really sad, really really sad," said 36-year-old student and Barca fan Jose Rivero, standing on the street in the Catalan capital. Messi, who joined Barcelona aged 13, is the club's all-time top scorer, helping them claim 10 league titles, four Champions Leagues and three Club World Cups during a glittering career. However, they failed to sufficiently reduce their wage bill to stay within La Liga's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Still, some observers believe that the announcement of Messi's departure is actually Barca boldly calling La Liga's bluff over its FFP rules.

Source: The Star August 06, 2021 08:37 UTC