'Thought someone hacked Barcelona's account': Sergio Aguero opens up on Lionel Messi's exit from Barca

Sergio Aguero recalled how he thought FC Barcelona's social media accounts were hacked when the club announced Lionel Messi's exit last year. Messi left his boyhood club FC Barcelona 17 years after making his debut for the senior team in 2003. His contract at the club had expired in 2021 and the Argentine great offered to reduce his salary but Barcelona's poor financial situation and La Liga's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules meant his contract was not renewed.

His exit from Barcelona had sent shockwaves around the world as Messi was expected to finish his career at the Spanish club having spent over two decades at the Camp Nou after joining the club at the tender age of 6. However, it was not meant to be as Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent after leaving Barcelona.

Former Argentina and Barcelona striker Aguero, who is a close friend of Messi, revealed he was shocked when he came to know about his departure from the club. Aguero had joined Barcelona from Manchester City just a few months before Messi's exit from the club was finalised.

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The duo never managed to play a game together for the Catalan club and the news of Messi's departure initially felt like a joke to Aguero. “How did I find out about Messi’s departure from Barça? I was with Ibai, drinking mate and suddenly… he looks at the phone and says to me: ‘No, is this true?’ and shows me the phone with the Barça official announcement," Aguero recalled in an interview with Jose Alvarez.

“When Barcelona announced Messi’s departure I thought someone had hacked Barça’s social networks. I thought it was a joke," he added.

Months later, Aguero had to retire from football after being diagnosed with a heart condition. Despite not having managed to play with him at Barcelona, Aguero played with Messi for several years for their national team Argentina. Their friendship goes back to the time when the duo had first met during a junior training camp with the national team.

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While Aguero was part of Argentina's U-16 squad, Messi was playing for the U-20 squad. The duo became friends ever since then and shared some great moments on the pitch playing for their country. Recalling the first time he met Messi, Aguero revealed he didn't recognise him despite the Argentine legend already being a household name in the country's football circuit at the time.

"I said quietly to him 'what's your name again', and he says 'Leo'. And I said 'No. What's your name?' And he said 'Lionel' and laughed. 'And your surname?', 'Messi.' My two friends looked at me and said 'You don't know who it is?'" - Aguero said recalling his first meeting with Messi.