"I cried when Messi left" - Gerard Pique says he wanted the PSG star to stay at Barcelona till end of his career

Gerard Pique has revealed that he cried when Lionel Messi was forced to leave Barcelona and admitted to wanting the Argentine to end his career at Camp Nou.

Messi had to leave the Blaugrana last summer after his contract could not be renewed by the club. They could not reduce their wage bill enough to accommodate the Argentine's new contract, and thus he ended up joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent.

In a recent interview, Pique has shared his thoughts regarding Messi's departure from the Catalan club. He also hailed the forward as the best player in the club's history, saying:

"Messi was Barcelona's best player. I've always said that we had Messi to win titles, but we also had to have a good team. A single player cannot win titles. Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the game. I cried when Messi left Barcelona. I cried for him. For the career he had at Barça, it would have been great if he had stayed until the end of his career at the club."

However, Pique admitted that he understood why the contract could not be renewed. He blamed the former club president Josep Bartomeu for the situation, saying:

"I can understand why Messi couldn't renew. The club was suffering a lot economically because of the past president and how he managed the club. But at the end of the day, these are things that happen in life. Sometimes you make a decision and things don't work out. For Barcelona and the fans Messi was like a God, it would have been great if he stayed."

Lionel Messi after Barcelona exit

Lionel Messi has not been able to do his best since leaving the Catalan giants last summer. He won the Ligue 1 title for PSG this season, but his contribution was limited.

In the French league, Messi has scored just four goals this season, while assisting 12 times. He has failed to register an assist in the Champions League, but managed to score five times in seven matches.