Barcelona president Joan Laporta has officially confirmed the departure of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi after 20 years with the club.
"We had hoped that the post-Messi era would start in two years' time, but now we have to bring that forward by two years," Laporta said in a press conference on Friday. "It wasn't to be."
The club announced on Thursday that Messi would not be returning to the club due in part to La Liga's salary cap regulations, which Laporta blamed for the failure to retain the Argentine star.
"We have to abide by LaLiga's rules, even though we had hoped they would be more flexible," Laporta said.