Barcelona chief opens up on "painful" Lionel Messi exit but insists he made right decision

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has opened up on the “painful” exit of Lionel Messi last summer, but insisted that the La Liga giants made the right decision by letting the superstar depart.

Messi left the Nou Camp on a free transfer for Paris Saint-Germain at the start of August after Barca failed to get his new contract passed through La Liga ’s stringent salary cap rules.

It brought an end to a 21-year association between Messi and Barcelona, with the Argentine breaking down in tears at the press conference that announced his departure.

At first, Barca struggled in the aftermath of his exit, with the Catalan giants enduring an awful start to the season that led to Ronald Koeman getting sacked, though they have recovered under Xavi.

Messi too has found life away from Barca difficult, with the 34-year-old scoring just seven goals in all competitions, despite being part of a star-studded PSG team.

While Xavi has taken them back into the top three of the La Liga table, they have still been knocked out of the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

Arguably, the presence of Messi may have helped them to enjoy deep runs in