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After 21 years of relentless service, Lionel Messi is finally leaving FC Barcelona, the club he joined as a 13-year-old by signing on a piece of napkin. An official announcement was made by the club, confirming Messi's departure. As soon as the declaration went live, a press conference was arranged to address the issue and Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, himself came forward to convey the details of this distressing news.
The newly elected head, while citing the verbal contract Lionel Messi and the club had agreed upon, said:
"I don't want to generate false hopes. We agreed a two-year deal which would be paid in five years. Messi helped to make everything as easy as possible. We thought that the contract was within LaLiga's criteria, it works fine in other countries but here, it wasn't accepted."
Breaking down Lionel Messi's goals for Barcelona
The numbers amassed by the Argentine magician are so incomprehensible that they may as well pass as the career stats of a group of players and no one would bat an eye. The lion's share of the 672 goals he scored for the Blaugrana came in La Liga, precisely rounding up to 474 strikes, making him the competition's all-time top scorer.
The Champions League takes another big chunk with 120 of Lionel Messi's goals coming on the continental stage. With a further 56 in the Copa del Rey, 14 in the Supercopa, 5 in the FIFA Club World Cup and 3 in the UEFA Super Cup, Messi caps off his career at Barcelona at the highest of highs.
Despite the variety of goals he has scored, the veteran has always stuck to his signature point-to-the-sky celebration when it comes to commemorating them. However, the incidents where he chose to innovate have been some of the most iconic moments in Lionel Messi's career. Here are the top 5 iconic goal celebrations by Messi at Barcelona:
#5 That freekick celebration against Liverpool
Lionel Messi's 600th goal for Barcelona couldn't have come in a more emphatic manner. Playing against Jurgen Klopp's resurgent Liverpool side, the Blaugrana dominated the first leg of the semi-final stage of the 2018/19 Champions League season. Leading 2-0 on the night, an 82nd-minute free-kick was awarded to the home side.
As usual, Lionel Messi stepped up to take the chance from 35-yards out. What followed blew everyone's minds. He belted in a curler in the top-left corner, leaving Alisson dumbfounded, and ran in front of the cameras, swaying his hands wide-open to celebrate like a king.
Unfortunately, that tie is remembered for what ensued in the second-leg, where Liverpool staged a huge upset, overshadowing Messi's masterclass at Camp Nou. Nevertheless, that moment has been etched into the hearts of all football fanatics.
#4 MSN
In their treble-winning 14/15 season, the fabled Barcelona trio 'MSN', composed of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, scored a combined total of 122 goals and gathered a further 66 assists together. The only time a triumvirate of players have accumulated more goal contributions came in the 15/16 season, when MSN outscored themselves by grabbing 131 goals and 79 assists. Downright scary numbers.
The famous photo of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez running down the line with their arms on each other's shoulders was clicked right after the Argentine talisman had netted the third goal of the night against Atletico Madrid, taking the score to 3-1 in Barcelona's favor during their La Liga clash.
The Catalan giants finished the year with five trophies to their name, which in turn won Lionel Messi the fifth Ballon d'Or of his career.
Also read: 5 major reasons that led to Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona
#3 The fallen boot in Rome
Lionel Messi's header made history that night, yet it was his boot that secured its place in Barcelona's folklore. With the 2009 Champions League final tilted towards Barca, all thanks to the 10th-minute opener by Samuel Eto'o, the ball broke to Xavi in the 70th minute, who looped it inside Manchester United's penalty box.
Messi lunged into the air, silencing all the critics who doubted his aerial prowess, and headed the ball past a helpless Edwin van der Sar to double Barcelona's advantage.
After scoring that record-breaking header, Lionel Messi realized that his right boot had slipped off in the process. The little Argentinian ran towards the corner flag to celebrate, kissing his fallen shoe, consequently creating this iconic moment.
Messi's second-half strike sealed the continental treble for his team, the first time in Barcelona's history. Pep Guardiola's men went on to win three more titles, completing the famous 'sextuple'.
#2 Tribute to Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona had always been an outspoken admirer of Lionel Messi. The legendary forward mentored Messi throughout his career, even coaching the former Barcelona number 10 for a while, during his brief spell as Argentina manager between 2008-2010.
Maradona's untimely death in 2020 sent shock waves all across the footballing world. However, his passing especially hit Lionel Messi in an inexplicable manner. Paying a fitting tribute to his idol, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner revealed the iconic red-and-black jersey of Newell's Old Boys and pointed to the sky after scoring in his team's 4-0 win over CA Osasuna.
The special connection behind this emblematic celebration is that Maradona spent a solitary season with the Argentine side, in a year that saw Lionel Messi join the youth ranks of that very team. Nevertheless, the Spanish Football Federation found room for violations in this touching act and slapped a €600-fine on the Barcelona forward for his antics on the field.
#1 The iconic shirt pose at Santiago Bernabeu
Lionel Messi's most inspiring moment in an El Clasico came at the teams' 174th meeting when Barcelona traveled to Madrid in the 33rd match week of the 16/17 season. Their previous encounter ended 1-1, with both clubs sharing the spoils.
It seemed that history would repeat itself, once again, with the match locked at 2-2 in the 90th minute. However, Lionel Messi had something else on his mind. A superb counterattack was launched by Sergi Roberto in the dying embers of the game. As soon as Jordi Alba found the ball, he squared the ball in a spatial area, only for Messi to slot it past a helpless Keylor Navas.
That proved to be the last touch of the game and Lionel Messi ran towards the ecstatic crowd to celebrate. He took off his shirt and pointed it towards an enraged Bernabeu crowd, taunting them with his own name. Barcelona ran out 2-3 victors, with Leo Messi giving birth to one of the most iconic moments in the history of football.
Also read: Top 5 goals scored by Barcelona's Lionel Messi in finals
