Barcelona announced on Thursday that Lionel Messi will be leaving the La Liga club after spending almost his whole club career at the Nou Camp. In an official statement, the Spanish club stated that economic and structural obstacles made it impossible to sign Messi to a new contract.

Barcelona blamed the Spanish league regulations for not allowing the club to sign a new contract with the Argentine striker, whose previous contract had ended on June 30. "FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration," the club's statement read.

The release further added, "As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled. FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life."

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has been part of Barcelona for 21 years, is the club's all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 games in all competitions. During his time with the Spanish club, Messi has also won 35 titles, including four Champions League titles, 10 Spanish league championships, seven Copa del Rey's, and eight Spanish Super Cups.