Lionel Messi To Leave FC Barcelona, The Club Says

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Lionel Messi waves at a Barcelona crowd in 2019. Barcelona says Lionel Messi will not stay with the club. Manu Fernandez/AP hide caption

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Manu Fernandez/AP

It's official: Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi will leave FC Barcelona.

Soccer league La Liga's limits on spending made it impossible for the club, whose spending far exceeded the limit, to make an agreement with Messi. The club would have needed to completely restructure its finances.

Messi's departure comes less than a month after he and Barcelona verbally agreed to a five-year deal, which included a substantial pay cut for Messi.

"Despite having reached an agreement between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi and with the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, it cannot be formalized due to economic and structural obstacles (in Spanish LaLiga regulations)," FC Barcelona said in a statement. "Faced with this situation, Lionel Messi will not continue linked to FC Barcelona."

Messi, one of the top players in soccer history, had expressed frustration with the Spanish soccer club last August, when he stated that he wanted to leave Barcelona. The 34-year-old ended his 21-year contract with the club in June and has been a free agent since July 1.

Messi joined Barca's academy at age 13 and has played 778 games for the club — a record number of appearances. He has scored 672 goals, another record, and has helped the team win 10 La Liga titles and the Champions League four times. He has won the Ballon d'Or six times.

Josie Fischels is an intern on NPR's News Desk.