As Barcelona announced that Lionel Messi would not be extending his stay, the world football governing body, FIFA has described the player’s contribution to the club as “utterly mind-blowing”.
The club made the announcement in an earth-shattering three-paragraph statement on Thursday.
Despite the desires of Barcelona and Messi, the club said, a renewal was not possible because of “financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).
Paying tribute to the player, FIFA took to Twitter to share an eight-minute clip showing the 34-year-old’s genius.
Accompanying the video was the text: “Has one man ever done more for one club?
“Leo, what you did for Barça was utterly mind-blowing.”
Messi, who made his senior debut with Barcelona in 2003, scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for the club.