“Drama, Messi is leaving!
".
The Barcelona sports daily Sport sums up the atmosphere in the Spanish press quite well.
While the announcement of Lionel Messi's departure from FC Barcelona shook the football world, the awakening was very hard for the media on the other side of the Pyrenees.
An earthquake obviously on the front page throughout Spain.
🗞 Esta es nuestra #portada de hoyhttps: //t.co/HW8gw2vN7f pic.twitter.com/j55gDb84Gl
- Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) August 5, 2021
Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan daily, used the traditional "Bombazo" (bomb) accompanied by Messi, alone on the lawn of Camp Nou.
Also in Catalonia, La Vanguardia shows the Argentinian greeting the audience and headlines “Messi, sad farewell to a prodigious era”.
The images of number 10, from the back, multiply as for El Periodico which writes "Incredible" on its front page.
As for the media in Madrid, it is much more sober.
"He will not continue" resumed AS among the words of the FC Barcelona press release.
A bit more teasing for Marca: "Barça lets Messi escape"
#LaPortada 🗞
🥇 ¡Qué subidón!
💣 El Barça already escaped Messi pic.twitter.com/hhzPzbSB04
- MARCA (@marca) August 5, 2021
"Hard to believe" in Argentina
It is not only Spain that is experiencing an incredible earthquake. In Argentina, the sports daily Olé evokes "the end of a unique legend" and "the day that no one hoped for has finally arrived". For its part, TyCSports prefers to close its eyes: "hard to believe". The Clarin media is even already talking about his new club on the front page: “Lionel Messi is leaving FC Barcelona: will Paris Saint-Germain be his new club? "
The formalization had arrived a little before 8 p.m. this Thursday evening. FC Barcelona have issued a press release announcing the departure of Lionel Messi after 21 years of presence in Catalonia. "Despite an agreement reached and with the intention of signing a new contract, economic and structural obstacles" made this extension impossible, the statement said. Earthquake to be confirmed during President Laporta's press conference at 11 a.m.