"It was a mistake to let Lionel Messi go" - Former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu reflects on superstar's move to PSG

Barcelona parted ways with Lionel Messi during the summer transfer window, with the Argentine joining Paris Saint-Germain after leaving the Catalan club. Former Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed the club made a mistake in letting go of their best player.

"It is a mistake to let Lionel Messi go. It represents much more than a footballer that falls in love," Bartomeu was quoted as saying.

"I have always thought that it is essential that he be with us not only because he is the best in the world but also because of his economic and institutional contribution."

Lionel Messi's first attempt to leave Barcelona came during Bartomeu's reign, with the playmaker sending a burofax to the club to let go of him last summer. Bartomeu has opened up on what happened during the period.

He explained: "He [Leo] wanted to leave the club, we talked about it and I said no. I have always thought that Messi is very important for our club, also Barca is for him and it would be a serious problem if he left, as I think it has been now."

"I told him that if he wanted to go like Xavi and Iniesta, to Qatar, China or the United States, something we understood, we can talk about it and we will do a tribute and a farewell. But Messi didn't have a team yet and he wanted to be free."

"We told him: 'We want Barca to be your last club in Europe. If you want to go to another continent later, no problem. But we want you to continue and that was a bit of the story of the summer of 2020.

"Us telling him that we wanted him to continue and he, that he wanted to leave. But without knowing where. I always asked him where he wanted to go."

Lionel Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona

Why did Lionel Messi leave Barcelona this summer?

Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona sent shockwaves across the football world this summer. Everyone expected the Argentine to continue at the Camp Nou. In fact, Messi had agreed to sign a new contract with the Catalan giants but they couldn't make it happen due to their financial constraints.

That opened up a massive opportunity for Paris Saint-Germain to exploit. The French giants moved quickly to snap up the playmaker, tying him to a two-year contract at the Parc des Princes.