Watch: Explaining why Lionel Messi is leaving Barcelona

The past 24 hours have been absolutely unbelievable. Barcelona fans went from waiting for the official announcement of Lionel Messi’s contract renewal, to then having to accept that the greatest player of all time would never wear the famous Blaugrana colours again. Check out our full video below to gain an understanding of how this situation came about, including all of the details, and what could happen next.

When Joan Laporta returned to Barcelona as club president, he knew the size of the task. It has been no secret that for some time now Barcelona have been in financial ruin due to former president Bartomeu’s disastrous mismanagement.

In order to renew the contract of Lionel Messi, Barcelona had to massively reduce their wage bill, in order to comply with La Liga’s regulations – sadly, this has not been possible. There have been little to no sales made and no salary cut has been agreed with the squad, meaning therefore, the renewal of the contract of Lionel Messi was not possible.

Barcelona and Joan Laporta must now fight through the grief of this situation, and quickly move to continue to agree on a wage reduction with the squad, as well as find suitable destinations for several players on the transfer list. But the sad reality remains that Barcelona are in a woeful position, and must now watch the greatest player of all time join another club.

Messi will no longer be a Barcelona player, and all that is left to do is simply thank the wonderful Argentine for everything he has given Barcelona and its fans. It has been an absolute pleasure.