MADRID (Dispatches) - FC
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has said that the club needs to “close the book” on Lionel Messi and look to the future.
Messi’s departure from Barca to join Paris Saint-Germain after it became impossible to fit his contract into the club’s wage structure has been the shock of the summer and also a blow to Koeman, who had said he was counting on the forward for the new season.
Speaking to ESPN, Koeman expressed his disappointment at Messi’s departure and said he was “surprised by the day and the moment when I knew that he had finished playing for Barcelona”.
“It was difficult because we are not talking about just any player, we are talking about Lionel Messi, the best player in the world for many seasons, and we were all disappointed that he will not play for us this season,” he said, before looking to the future.
“You have to change fast, because the new season is starting, and we can’t remain disappointed at what has happened.”
“We have to understand that there is always an end for a player. You have to close the book on Messi, because now we have to focus on this new season.