LaLiga on Sunday released a statement saying Lionel Messi's Barcelona contract was still valid, days after his shock announcement that he wants to leave the club and hours after he failed to attend a pre-season medical.
Messi's failure to show for his medical underlined the 33-year-old's determination to leave the club he has been with throughout his career.
MADRID — Lionel Messi will not take a planned preseason coronavirus test on Sunday or return to training on Monday after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media reported on Saturday.
Spanish sports paper Marca said Messi was "going to war" with his lifelong club by making the decision.
La Vanguardia reported Messi will send another burofax, the method by which he told the club he wanted to leave, to inform them of his decision not to join his teammates for the first training session under new coach Ronald Koeman.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says he would be interested in adding Barcelona captain Lionel Messi to his Premier League-winning squad but there is no chance it would happen because of the astronomical amount of money involved.
Messi stunned world soccer earlier this week when he expressed his desire to leave Barcelona after nearly two decades with the Catalan club.
No one hates losing more than Lionel Messi. Unfortunately for the Argentine, he has had his fair share of tough losses on the club and international stages. Some dare to describe Messi as a sore loser, but you can’t knock the guy for despising a loss. There has been a handful of times he might have taken it too far though. Here are the top five instances of Messi overreacting to losses.
Lionel Messi's potential move to Manchester City could eventually bring the international superstar to New York City FC, ESPN reported Wednesday.
A long-term contract is reportedly in the works between the 33-year-old Argentinian forward and Man City, which, like NYCFC, is owned by the City Football Group. The deal includes a clause for Messi's move to the MLS club after three seasons in the Premier League, per the report.
BARCELONA — Angry Barcelona fans chanted for the resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu after captain Lionel Messi announced on Tuesday that he wished to leave the Catalan side.
"We love you, Messi stay, Messi stay!" and "Bartomeu resign!" chanted several hundred fans outside Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium on Tuesday night.
It appears Lionel Messi will soon be leaving Barcelona, the only club he’s ever known as a professional. It’s earth-shattering news for the footballing world, akin to Michael Jordan leaving basketball for baseball, the death of Kobe Bryant, Pete Rose being banned from baseball or Lou Gehrig’s retirement.
The reaction to Lionel Messi possibly leaving Barcelona is understandably skeptical. We’ve been here before. He has a year left on his contract. There’s the $825 million release clause. He’s Mr. Barcelona!
BARCELONA — Captain Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club immediately, a source confirmed on Tuesday, deepening the turmoil within the Catalan side less than two weeks after their humiliating 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich. But can anyone afford the Lionel Messi buyout clause?
The club source said Messi, who has spent his entire career at Barca, informed the club about his desire to leave by sending a burofax, a service used in Spain to urgently dispatch a document that requires proof to third parties.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel says Lionel Messi would be welcome at the club if he ever decided to leave Barcelona but he does not expect the Argentine forward to do so.
Messi, who joined Barcelona aged 13, has scored a record 634 goals for the club in 730 games and is also their most decorated player with 33 trophies but the 33-year-old is into the final year of his contract at the club.