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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFC Barcelona announced on 5 August 2021 that Lionel Messi would not stay, saying financial and structural obstacles under LaLiga’s player-registration regulations prevented the club from formalizing a new contract. Barcelona said it and Messi had reached an agreement and intended to sign that day; it did not say the contract had been signed.
What Barcelona announced on 5 August
In its official statement, Barcelona said: “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration.” The club added: “As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona.”
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The distinction is important: Barcelona described an agreement and an intention to sign, but said registration rules and financial and structural obstacles meant it could not formalize the contract. The statement identifies the immediate obstacle as the club understood it; it is not a LaLiga ruling about the proposed Messi contract.
What Joan Laporta said about the club’s finances
At a press conference on 6 August, Barcelona president Joan Laporta said both Messi and the club wanted him to stay, but that LaLiga’s rules made it impossible. He also described the club’s financial position and its decision not to pursue a LaLiga-related TV-rights operation.
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Laporta called the club’s financial situation a “terrible inheritance” from the previous board and said salaries represented “110% of income.” That percentage is his stated figure in Barcelona’s account of the press conference, not an independently verified figure in the cited material. His explanation of the TV-rights decision should likewise be understood as the president’s account of the club’s considerations, not as a finding by LaLiga.
Read the club’s account of his remarks in “Joan Laporta explains the reasons for Leo Messi’s departure”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the announcement unfolded
- 5 August 2021: Barcelona announced Messi would not stay and said the proposed contract could not be formalized under the circumstances it described.
- 6 August 2021: Laporta addressed the press and outlined the club’s financial position and strategic considerations.
- 7 August 2021: Barcelona announced that Messi would address the media the following day.
The event notice is available from FC Barcelona.
The scale of Messi’s Barcelona legacy
In a retrospective published on 5 August 2021, Barcelona said Messi had played 17 seasons in the first team and won 35 major titles with the club. Those are the club’s own figures. Its retrospective, “A Barça legend,” places the departure announcement in the context of a long first-team career.
What a later LaLiga statement does—and does not—show
On 14 August 2021, LaLiga issued a statement about registration documents for Memphis Depay and Eric García. It said Barcelona had not sent the documents when the club first communicated publicly about those players’ registrations and that LaLiga was reviewing them after submission. That statement concerned those players; it does not decide or independently establish what happened with Messi’s proposed contract.
Quick Recap
LaLiga’s statement is available here.
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