Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said that letting Lionel Messi leave Barcelona this summer. The Argentine star completed a sensational move from Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain for free this summer and it went down as one of the most memorable transfers in football history. What made it sensational was that it happened unexpectedly after talks of a new contract broke down in a very short span of time. Talking to Mundo Deportivo, he said, “I have always thought that it is essential that he be with us, not only because he is the best in the world, but also because of his economic and institutional contribution. It is a mistake to let Messi go. He represents much more than a footballer." Lionel Messi Criticises Referee After Argentina’s Win Over Peru, Says, ‘He Does It on Purpose’

Messi had pushed for an exit back in 2020 and had finally decided to stay for one more year. However, with the change at the helm of affairs in Barcelona as Joan Laporta took control, chances of Messi putting pen to paper was seemingly looking close. But Barcelona's increasingly difficult financial situation made it impossible for Messi to continue his stay at Camp Nou. A teary eyed farewell followed and Messi  was in Paris in a few days to join the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in his new team PSG. Bartomeu, while talking about the incident where Messi had put in a transfer request, said, "Messi wanted to leave the club, we talked about it and I said no. I have always thought that Messi is very important to our club, Barca is also very important to him and it would be a serious problem if he left, as I think it has become now. I told him that if he wanted to go like Xavi and Iniesta, to Qatar, China or the United States, we can talk about it and we will do a tribute and a farewell. But Messi didn't have a team yet and he wanted to be free."

The star player recently scored his first goal for PSG in a UEFA Champions League 2021-22 match against Manchester United. He is yet to open his goal-scoring account in Ligue 1, though.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2021 08:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).