Barcelona fans are devastated to be losing the Argentinian forward Lionel Messi. /Paul Barrena/AFP
Despondent FC Barcelona fans gathered outside Lionel Messi's home on Monday, bidding farewell to one of the soccer team's greatest ever players as he finally left his club after 21 years of service.
A tearful Messi had said goodbye to his fans and colleagues during an emotional press conference on Sunday, announcing that he was in talks with the French club Paris Saint Germain (PSG) over a possible transfer.
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"I feel devastated," said Cristian Garcia from in front of the Barcelona veteran's house, dressed in a team shirt emblazoned with her hero's name on the back.
"To see a player that I have always followed, who is an example for me, to see him leave now brings me a lot of pain."
Messi said he had been willing to take a 50 percent pay cut to stay at the club. /Albert Gea/Reuters
Messi said he had agreed to a 50 percent pay cut in a bid to secure a new contract and stay at Barcelona, but was unable to finalize the deal because of the Spanish league's financial rules and his former club's debts.
La Liga said last week it had solidified a private equity injection of $3.17 billion from firm CVC, with the funds to be passed out among the league's clubs in return for 10 percent of the league's revenue.
This was expected to be enough for Barcelona to keep Messi, but as Real Madrid rejected the proposal, saying they would take legal action against La Liga, Barcelona also decided to drop the deal.
Faced with a $1.4 billion mountain of debt, the club insists it had no choice other than to get rid of the 34-year-old on a free transfer, with his contract having ended in June.
President Joan Laporta admitted that losses for last season alone totalled almost 500 million euros ($587m) and insisted he could not "mortgage" the club's future for any player, Messi included. But that didn't appease all the fans struggling to deal with the idea of losing a man universally acknowledged as one of soccer-s all-time greats.
"I don't think the club has done enough to make him stay, I think it was in the club's hands to make him stay, beyond the money," said Barcelona and Argentina fan Gonzalo Moreno.
Fans await the arrival of Lionel Messi in Paris before his expected signing for Paris St Germain. /Yves Herman/Reuters
Messi said on Sunday that PSG was "a possibility" but that he had not yet signed any deal. French newspaper L'Equipe reported on Sunday that Messi would travel to Paris on Sunday or Monday for a medical and to secure a deal with the Qatar Sports Investment-owned club.
While Messi did not fully confirm much of the transfer speculation, he did say his plans were to carry on playing as long as possible, adding he still had hopes of winning another Champions League trophy.
"We're waiting for a legend, the legend that is Leo Messi," said PSG fan Mehmet Sen, at the gates to Paris' Le Bourget airport, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star on his arrival in France.
However, there was little sign of movement around Messi's house in the Barcelona hills on Monday.
One young fan, Jonas Romero said he was "waiting to see if we can see Messi before he leaves for PSG." Another, Saul Moreno, added: "I don't want Messi to go to PSG, but I know he's going."