Argentine Football Star Lionel Messi conducted a press conference in Barcelona on Sunday to announce his departure from the club.

Messi, who is classified as one of the Greatest of All Time, has played with Barcelona for his entire career. 

The star had asked the club last year to leave, however, he changed his mind at the end. However, he is leaving the club due to Barcelona's financial struggles.

 

"Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled," said Barcelona's official statement.

The 34-yea-old began his career in the lower categories of FC Barcelona in December 2000, and made his senior team debut at the age of 17 in 2003, having become the maximum legend of the club, with a total of 35 trophies.

The superstar was emotional before even he started to talk in the conference. 

“These recent days, I’ve been giving lots of thought about what I could say, and the truth is that I can’t think of anything,” Messi told a news conference as hundreds of fans, many wearing his number 10 jersey, massed outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the player.

The Football Club of Barcelona Twitter handle posted fans Apllauding him at Camp Nou saying "Greatest applause Of All Time."

“My family and I were convinced I wanted to stay here, that’s what we all wanted more than anything. We thought we’d be staying here in Barcelona, today I have to say goodbye to all of this,” he said.

“We’ve always made this our home, we’re at home and we thought we’d be staying here in Barcelona.”

The six-times Ballon D'or winner has scored 682 goals with Barcelona to become their all-time top scorer.

“I’ve been here so many years, my entire life since I was 13. After 21 years, I’m leaving with my wife, my three little Catalan-Argentine kids, and I can’t tell you we won’t come back because this is my home, and I promised my children that," he said.

“I tried to behave with humility and respect, and I hope that is what remains of me when I leave the club. As long as I go on being competitive and as long as my body responds [I’ll carry on playing],” he added. “As long as I can, I will carry on competing."

Messi said that he believed he would be staying at the club, with a five-year deal agreed on a 50 percent pay-cut, only for a surprise u-turn to happen late last week.

“My contract was never the issue … what I know is that I did everything I could. The club says it could not happen because of La Liga. I can guarantee you that I did everything I could to stay.”

All 35 trophies he won during his time at the club were laid out for what the club described would be a private photo session after the news conference