Lionel Messi: Distraught Barcelona fans gather outside club offices with icon set for free transfer

DAZED and dismayed, Barcelona fans gathered into the night outside the Nou Camp after the club announced legend Lionel Messi is leaving. Sombre supporters waited outside the club offices as others sat on a grassy roadside opposite, most saying little as they faced up to losing arguably the world’s greatest ever footballer. Barca blame LaLiga […]

DAZED and dismayed, Barcelona fans gathered into the night outside the Nou Camp after the club announced legend Lionel Messi is leaving.

Sombre supporters waited outside the club offices as others sat on a grassy roadside opposite, most saying little as they faced up to losing arguably the world’s greatest ever footballer.

Barca blame LaLiga rules which meant they would have had to sell other players to retain free agent Messi – even though the 34-year-old agreed to stay on lower wages.

One man summed up the mood of fans as he gazed up at the large “FC BARCELONA” sign on the club walls and clutched his head with both hands.

One supporter was pictured checking for developments on a laptop computer as other fans looked on.

And comments on social media reflected this despair.

One Barca follower “felt sick” over Messi’s upcoming exit and another claimed “‘it’s like a family member has died”.

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are the clear frontrunners to recruit the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

And Barca seem as shell-shocked as fans at losing their all-time record scorer.

They said in a statement: “Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.

“Despite 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 financial and structural obstacles.

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“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.”

Numbed Barca fans don’t seem ready for his departure, judging by the pictures from outside the club on Thursday night.

But it appears neither they nor Barcelona can do anything about it.

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