Lionel Messi’s tearful departure from FC Barcelona in August 2021 was greeted with shock and disbelief around the world. 

Lionel Messi arrived at Barcelona in 2000 as a 13-year-old and went on to become the greatest player in the rich history of the club. 

During his time with the Catalans, Messi broke several club records, including the most appearances (778) by a player, most goals (672), and most titles (35, by the club’s own count), among others.

Rightfully considered by many as the greatest Barca player of all time, Messi departing from the club was at one point in time unimaginable. 

However, that’s not how things transpired as Messi headed for a Barca exit in August 2021. So why did Lionel Messi leave Barcelona in 2021? 

Here’s a closer look at the circumstances surrounding Messi’s tearful departure from Barcelona.

Why did Lionel Messi leave Barcelona in 2021?

To put things forth in the simplest terms, Barcelona simply couldn’t afford to keep Messi in the team any longer as their wage budget wasn’t enough to accommodate the Argentine superstar.

While Messi entered the summer of 2021 as a free agent, it was widely believed that he would strike some sort of a deal with the Catalans eventually. 

However, the club at the time was embroiled in economic turmoil and very soon the extent of the mess became clear for everyone to see.

As per La Liga’s rules, clubs can only spend a set share of their revenue on wages and transfers. Herein lay the issue for Barcelona as the club’s financial struggles came to light.

Barcelona’s serious economic challenges in 2021 were further exacerbated by COVID-19 and it was one of the many reasons behind Messi’s departure.

Furthermore, Barca’s own spending in the transfer market, where they paid huge fees for players and offered huge contracts to both new and existing members of the squad didn’t help their cause either. 

To navigate these various challenges, the Argentine superstar even reportedly offered to take a staggering 50 per cent pay cut and agree to a new contract extension. 

But La Liga’s stringent player registration rules prevented this from happening and prohibited the Spanish club from keeping their club icon at Camp Nou.

Ahead of every season, La Liga’s economic control department reviews the profits, losses and debts of each club and lays down a cost limit for them to ensure the long-term sustainability and financial health of the club.

That limit covers the whole squad cost, including players, coaches and the reserve teams. When LaLiga published the 2021-22 figures later that year, after Messi had already left, Barcelona’s limit was €97.92 million, against €739.12 million for Real Madrid. Two summers earlier, Barcelona’s limit had been €671 million.

Even on half his old salary, a new Messi contract would have taken up a large part of that limit, and the club still had Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele on big contracts. Laporta also put the club’s total debt at €1.3 billion.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta, in a news conference before Messi’s teary-eyed farewell, said that the only way to keep Messi at Camp Nou was to accept La Liga’s proposal of selling 10% of the league’s business to investment fund partners.

“The club is above players, coaches and presidents,” Laporta explained. “It would not be in Barca’s best interests to receive some money and affect (revenue from) television rights for the next 50 years. It is not something we can do (to keep Messi). It’s too risky.”

Messi said goodbye at a tearful press conference at Camp Nou on 8 August 2021. Two days later, on 10 August, he joined French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a two-year contract with an option for a third year.

What happened next: PSG, then Inter Miami

Messi spent two seasons in Paris. He won Ligue 1 in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and the Trophée des Champions in 2022. In December 2022, while still a PSG player, he won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 2021 and 2023.

When his PSG contract ran out in 2023, a return to Barcelona was widely reported, but it never happened. On 15 July 2023, Inter Miami announced his signing on a two-and-a-half-year contract. In Florida he has won the Leagues Cup (2023), the Supporters’ Shield (2024) and the MLS Cup (2025), and he was named MLS MVP in 2024 and 2025. On 23 October 2025 he extended his Inter Miami contract through the 2028 season.

He has not played for Barcelona since he left in 2021. The complete list of his honours is in our all trophies won by Lionel Messi page.

At Barcelona, Messi won 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona. Messi made a record 778 appearances for the club and also scored a record 672 goals across competitions.

Photo credit: Alamy