The translator whose job it was to convey Lionel Messi’s words from Spanish to English during the superstar’s press conference could be heard welling up during the event.
After 21 years at the club, becoming arguably their greatest player of all time, Barcelona announced Messi will depart this summer window as the financial restrictions lay on them by the Spanish league meant they could not afford the star’s wages.
On Saturday August it was announced that a press conference would take place the following day. Many presumed that to mean Messi would in fact stay at the Catalan club, but it turned out to be an emotive conference featuring a final farewell.
Messi was visibly upset even before he stepped up to the podium – and the sadness of the event even took hold of the translator who was doing his level best to talk without bursting into tears.
Messi’s final words
Messi refused to comment on his future during the conference but did speak on his love of Barcelona, offering an explanation about why he had to leave the club.
“This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay at home, that’s what we all wanted more than anything,” he said as per the Evening Standard.
“We’d always made this our own, we were at home. We thought we would be staying here in Barcelona. But today, we have to say goodbye to all of this.”
He added: “I did everything possible and the club, Laporta, they couldn’t do it because of LaLiga.
“I’ve heard things said about me, that I didn’t want to continue, but on my life, we did everything we could because I wanted to stay.
“Last year, I didn’t want to stay and I said it; this year, I wanted to stay and we couldn’t.”
Featured image credit: Getty
