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Tearful Lionel Messi gets standing ovation as he says goodbye to Barcelona

:Headline: Tearful Lionel Messi gets standing ovation as he says goodbye to Barcelona:
The Argentinian playmaker says he never imagined having to bid farewell to the club.
Sports Mole

An emotional Lionel Messi has revealed he expected to extend his stay at Barcelona.

It was announced on Thursday the six-time Ballon d'Or winner would not sign a new contract with his boyhood club, with president Joan Laporta saying a day later that the former regime at Barca in addition to LaLiga spending rules had thwarted any hopes of the Argentinian staying in Catalonia.

Speaking at his farewell press conference on Sunday morning, a tearful Messi got a standing ovation after speaking.

He said: "This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay at home, that's what we all wanted more than anything.

"We'd always made this our own, we were at home. We thought we would be staying here in Barcelona. But today, we have to say goodbye to all of this."

The 34-year-old, who has been heavily linked with a move to Paris St Germain, had been set to remain at the Nou Camp but is now a free agent.

He added: "I did everything possible and the club, Laporta, they couldn't do it because of LaLiga.

"I've heard things said about me, that I didn't want to continue, but on my life, we did everything we could because I wanted to stay.

"Last year, I didn't want to stay and I said it; this year, I wanted to stay and we couldn't."

PSG appears the most likely next destination for Messi and while he confirmed that joining the French giants was a possibility, he insisted nothing was yet agreed.

He said: "That's honestly one possibility, to reach those heights, but I've got nothing confirmed with anybody.

"When the press release was published, I had a lot of calls and a lot of clubs were interested.

"At the moment, I've not got anything closed, but we are talking about a lot of things."

Messi would be reunited with former Barca team-mate Neymar at PSG (Adam Davy.PA)

Messi confirmed he had agreed to take a 50 per cent wage cut during negotiations over a new deal.

He said: "I offered to reduce my salary by 50 per cent and they didn't ask me for anything else.

"The news that I'd asked for 30 per cent more is a lie. We did everything we could and it wasn't possible."

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Real Madrid1393128111730
3Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
4Villarreal137422521425
5Osasuna146441922-322
6GironaGirona146352018221
7Mallorca146351312121
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Sevilla145361318-518
13Rayo Vallecano134451314-116
14Leganes143561319-614
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179
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