Aguero in total frustration as Messi departs from Barcelona

The past few hours have been a whirlwind for Barcelona. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest ever to play the game, Barca’s all-time leading goalscorer, highest appearance-maker, six-time Ballon d’Or winner, will not be renewing his contract with the Catalans, it has been confirmed.

As per the statement issued by the club, while an agreement was in place between the two parties, the financial restrictions placed due to La Liga’s Fair Play rules made it impossible to tie Messi down to a new contract.

While the Argentine had been a free agent for over a month now, it was always expected that he would be re-signing with Barcelona. But, as shocking as it seems, it will not be happening, the club confirmed late on Thursday evening.

The fans, naturally, have been left devastated by the development and it seems like the feeling within the dressing room could also be similar, especially with one player – Sergio Aguero.

The 33-year-old, who happens to be one of Messi’s closest friends, had signed with Barcelona only this summer on a free transfer after running down his contract with Manchester City.

It has been previously reported that the striker, who won the Copa America 2021 with the former Barca captain earlier this summer, had agreed to take a large pay cut in order to join the Catalans and play with Messi.

Manchester City’s all-time leading goalscorer had admitted as much when he was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player, insisting that Messi’s presence at the club played a big part in his decision to join the Catalans.

In a similar manner, Aguero’s arrival was also claimed to have played a crucial role in Messi agreeing a new deal with Barcelona.

The pair was tipped to return to Barcelona pre-season training together this week, but that did not materialise. And following the latest development, unless there is a massive U-turn, which seems highly unlikely, the Argentine duo will not be playing together at Camp Nou in the coming season.