Barcelona has confirmed to the Associated Press that six time ballon d’or winner Lionel Messi sent a document expressing his wish to leave the club.
The Argentine world cup runners up medallists has been with the Spanish giants for nearly two decades.
The announcement comes after Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League Quarter Finals, one of the worst defeats in both the player and club’s history.
Barcelona had also missed out on the league title to eternal rivals Real Madrid and lost in the Copa del Rey Quarter Finals to Athletic Bilbao.
The last time they had gone a season without a trophy was in the 2007-08 season.
Messi has won a record six ballon d’or during his time at the Nou camp and has helped the club win ten league titles and four Champions League.
This will come as a shock to new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman who was only hired last week as he would have loved to bank on the diminutive Argentine.
