Ronald Koeman: Barcelona must 'close the book' on Lionel Messi era

Lionel Messi wanted to stay with Barcelona but couldn't because of monetary issues the club referred to as "financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations)." The 34-year-old superstar ultimately joined Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract that includes an option for a third year as a free agent, and Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman told ESPN's Martin Ainstein his club must now move on heading into Sunday's La Liga season opener versus Real Sociedad. 

"We have to understand that there is always an end for a player. You have to close the book because now we have to focus on this new season," Koeman explained during his comments. "We have new players in and we have to move forward and we have time for that. We have young players in the squad this season and it's also for the future, we are working on the future of this club and it's really important to have our focus on this and not focus on what happened in the last few days." 

As for the financial restrictions that led to Messi's departure from the club he first joined as a 13-year-old, Koeman said: 

"I knew there was a difficult situation between the club and Leo Messi and the league to have the possibilities to keep Messi in the club. It takes a long time, but I was also surprised by the day and the moment that I heard that he was finished playing for Barcelona. And I knew the financial situation of the club made it more difficult." 

Barcelona finished the 2020-21 La Liga campaign behind champions Atletico Madrid and rivals Real Madrid in the table with Messi leading the charge, and there's simply no replacing a six-time Ballon d’Or winner in any one transfer window. While Koeman added Barcelona's goal is "always winning trophies" regardless of who is in the team, this may be the first time in recent memory the club isn't seen as a favorite to complete a long and memorable journey in the UEFA Champions League.