Messi and other players who left the team of their loves

Messi, after more than 20 years, says goodbye to Barcelona, ​​as well as several icons of their respective teams

The day has come that fans of Barcelona they thought it would never come, and that is Lionel messi and the Spanish club did not reach an agreement for the Argentine player to continue in their ranks, thus ending an era of more than 20 years in the Catalan team.

With this, Messi joins a list of athletes that we never thought would change teams due to his explicit love for the colors of the institution, as well as his sporting success.

After 778 games, 672 goals and 305 assists, as well as 10 LaLiga titles, 7 Copa del Rey and 4 UEFA Champions League, in addition to 6 Ballons d’Or, the South American left the team he came to as a child.

Before that, ESPN Digital introduces you to various athletes who said goodbye to the squad of their loves and joined another team.

The NFL quarterback ended his contract with the New England Patriots in 2020 and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 20 years and winning six Super Bowl rings.

Brady, 42, left the team of his loves to seek a new challenge in Florida and it turned out positively, adding a new Super Bowl ring against all the odds.

Messi and other players who left the team of theirBrett favre

Legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback – originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons – Brett Favre, headlined one of the NFL’s most famous heartbreak stories, while becoming the first quarterback to beat at 32. league franchises. In his first game against the team that led to two Super Bowls (with a title), Favre received the Packers in a Minnesota Vikings jersey, throwing three touchdowns to give his new team the victory in the NFC North. The epitome of the love breakup came when Favre returned to Lambeau Field three weeks later, at the helm of the hated rival, to throw four touchdowns and sweep the division series in front of the 16 season surrendered public.

1628252149 568 Messi and other players who left the team of theirRaul

The former Spanish striker is one of the most important figures in the history of Real Madrid, a club he has defended for 16 seasons. In 2010, after scoring 323 goals in 741 games, the “Angel” said goodbye to the Spanish capital and went to Germany to play for Schalke 04.

1628252149 449 Messi and other players who left the team of theirRamon Ramirez

In Mexican soccer, one of the most controversial changes in history was that of Ramón Ramírez, who went from Guadalajara to America at the beginning of 1999 and immediately broke the national media, being at that time one of the emblems of the Flock. . The midfielder was only one season in the Eagles and played 18 games, one of them against Chivas.

1628252149 718 Messi and other players who left the team of theirJohnny damon

Without being as unusual a change as that of Babe Ruth, although much remembered in recent times, it was that of Johnny Damon from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for the 2006 campaign. Damon was a recognized figure of the group of Boston and even helped end an 86-year drought without a World Series, but only a year after that achievement, he decided to switch to the hated rival, where he played only three seasons.

1628252149 500 Messi and other players who left the team of theirSteven Gerard

The former English midfielder was trained in the Basic Forces of Liverpool, a team with which he made his debut in the First Division and stayed for 17 years. Gerrard played 695 games with the Reds and in 2015 decided to close his cycle with the Anfield team and play for a year with the LA Galaxy of MLS due to his commitment not to play against Liverpool.

1628252149 568 Messi and other players who left the team of theirIker Casillas

With tears, the Spanish goalkeeper said goodbye to Real Madrid in the summer of 2015 after experiencing a difficult time at the club under José Mourinho. Casillas, who was trained in the Basic Forces of the Merengues, defended Madrid’s shield for 16 seasons and decided to leave the Santiago Bernabéu to continue his career in Portugal with Porto.

1628252150 882 Messi and other players who left the team of theirXavi Hernandez

The former Spanish player is considered one of the most important symbols of Barcelona as he was a key part of the club’s golden age under Pep Guardiola. In 2015, after 17 seasons, Xavi announced that it was time to leave the institution due to his need to “change of scene” and joined the ranks of Al-Sadd in Qatar.

1628252150 698 Messi and other players who left the team of theirFernando Alonso

The Spanish driver caused a division of opinions in Formula 1 by making a good number of changes that caused the discouragement of many of his followers on the one hand and win over others that perhaps he had not contemplated. One of the main disagreements that the Spaniard generated was when he became a McLaren driver in 2007, where he lasted only one campaign to return to Renault and years later when he became a Ferrari, with the history he already had. He returned to McLaren and is now in retirement.

De Rossi, one of Roma’s historic players, decided to leave the club in 2019 after defending the colors of the institution for 18 years. The Italian footballer wanted to continue playing but the board decided not to renew his contract so he accepted the offer from Boca Juniors of Argentina and thus showed his love for Roma by not playing with another Serie A team.

In London, Ashley Cole caused a lot of controversy in 2006, when she suddenly made her move from Arsenal to Chelsea. The left-back emerged from the Gunners’ quarry and played eight years before giving his change to the ‘Blues’, one of the most hated clubs. There, Cole also played for eight years and was even champion of the UEFA Champions League in 2012. He currently plays for Derby County.