It was a very emotional afternoon at the Camp Nou on Sunday, as former FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi formally said goodbye to the club that he has been a part of for 21 years. He broke down in tears at the end of his speech, which was received with a lengthy standing ovation.

Following the club's confirmation on Thursday that the Argentine will no longer be able to continue at the club, they announced that he will hold a press conference at noon on Sunday. The often quiet and sometimes secretive Messi took the stage to share his thoughts about what has transpired in the past year.

The event was attended by Messi's wife and children, club executives, manager Ronald Koeman and the entire first team squad. Likewise, club legends and former Barcelona teammates Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez were in attendance.

"It is the most difficult moment of my sporting career," he started. "When they told me, I blocked it out. It was like a jug of cold water. I have had hard and difficult moments, but this... I feel very sad, I did not expect it," he said, confirming that he had wanted to stay just as president Joan Laporta had previously claimed.

"I was always up front. I feel sad. I'm still taking it in. I did everything I could to stay. I reduced my salary by half. I wanted to stay," he added, once again confirming previous reports claiming that an agreement had been reached with the club about a 50% salary reduction.

Messi then debunked claims that the club had asked him for more sacrifices, causing the breakdown of the negotiations. "Last year I had decided to leave, but not this one. And no one asked me for anything else. It wasn't possible. It was all agreed, but because of the LaLiga issue, it was not done. The club has a very big debt and does not want to go into even more debt," he said.

He said that he did not expect to say goodbye in this manner, admitting that he was hoping that when the time came for him to say goodbye, it would be at the Camp Nou full of fans. He lamented the fact that he had not been able to see his fans for a year and a half, and he felt sad at not being able to express his gratitude to them in person.

Messi then posed for photos with all 35 trophies he won in 21 years with the club and 17 seasons in the top flight.

Lionel Messi
Messi was overwhelmed as he confirmed he is leaving Barcelona after 672 goals in 788 games and mouintains of trophies AFP / Pau BARRENA