It was a mistake to let Lionel Messi go, says Josep Maria Bartomeu

Former Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that it was a 'mistake' for Barcelona to let Lionel Messi leave Camp Nou in 2020.

Bartomeu said that he would only have allowed the Argentine to depart Camp Nou for MLS or Asia.

The stance was taken in 2020 when the six-time Ballon d'Or first made a push for the exits, with Messi informing that he would not be freed from the final year of a lucrative contract. However, that deal was eventually run down and Messi leaving for Ligue 1 heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain.

"It is a mistake to let Messi go. He represents much more than a footballer," the Goal.com report said quoting Bartomeu.

PSG was an obvious choice for Messi, given their spending power and the presence of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at Parc des Princes, but Bartomeu is still disappointed to see a Barca legend in France.

"I have always thought that Messi is very important to our club, Barca is also very important to him and it would be a serious problem if he left, as I think it has become now," said Bartomeu.

"I told him that if he wanted to go like Xavi and Iniesta, to Qatar, China or the United States, 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," he added.