LIONEL MESSI bid an emotional farewell to Barcelona on Sunday. Days after Barcelona announced Lionel Messi would leave the only club he’d known for 21 years, Messi himself held a media conference at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium Sunday to confirm his departure. It comes amid reports from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano and ESPN’s Julien Laurens that Messi, who became a free agent earlier this summer, is on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain. “I thought we would stay at home. We wanted to stay here and keep enjoying this life we have both personally and professionally, but today I have to say goodbye to all of this,” Messi said Sunday, with his teammates in attendance. “All my life I have been here, arrived very young, after 21 years here, I have a wife, three kids who are Catalan/Argentinean. I will return here, as this is home and I promised my kids. “I want to thank so many people, players, those that help us. I grew with the values of this club, humbleness, respect and I did that with everyone. I hope that is what they remember of me.” Breaking down in tears on multiple occasions, Messi delivered the surest sign yet that he’s really not coming back to Barcelona, which he joined as a 13-year-old in 2000. The club itself blamed his impending exit on financial issues — namely La Liga refusing to finance the new contract both Messi and Barcelona agreed to earlier this summer — but there’s been speculation it’s a ploy to pressure the league into financing the contract as it tries to sell a large stake of commercial rights to a private equity firm in a US$3.75 billion deal, as reported by Rob Harris of the Associated Press. “Last year I wanted to leave,” Messi said Sunday. “This year I don’t, and that’s why I’m so sad.” Meanwhile, Barcelona started life without Messi on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Juventus in the pre-season Gamper Trophy. Memphis Depay opened the scoring for Barcelona after just three minutes with Martin Braithwaite adding a second goal just before the hour mark from a corner. (SD-Agencies) | 