Xabi Alonso has said that he understands why Lionel Messi wants to depart Barcelona.
The former Spain international midfielder, who started his career with Real Sociedad before excelling at Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, believes that the Argentine needs to move on to rekindle his love for the sport.
Messi stunned the world game earlier this week when news broke that he wants to leave Barcelona after a disappointing season that saw them lose La Liga to Real Madrid and crash out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.