An ex-President of Real Madrid, Ramon Calderon, has disclosed the primary reason for Lionel Messi’s decision to leave Barcelona this summer.

On Thursday, Barcelona, the LaLiga giants, declared that Messi would no longer be a member of their squad.

The 34-year-old striker, who spent 21 years at the club and scored 672 goals in 778 games is already in talks with other prominent European clubs

This will mean that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will play for another club for the first time since leaving Newell’s Old Boys as a child, still surprising many, putting fans in a sober state.

Calderon told the news that it was a big surprise to him as he had expected Messi to sign a new contract with Barcelona.

He also stated that it was bad news for the Spanish giants and good news for their competitors.

Contradicting the president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, Calderon stated that the attacking midfielder decided to depart because one of his requests to the club was not met.

Barcelona president, Laporta, said that the star’s exit was a result of the club’s inability to pay the forward as the club is in a current financial crisis.

Laporta said that an agreement had been reached with the player in an attempt to keep him but still was unfruitful, the reason being that the club’s salary budget was above the laliga fair play policy.

However, Calderon said that Messi had changed his mind, primarily due to the quality of the team at the moment.

Barcelona’s refusal to meet Messi’s demand to recruit Argentina teammate, Cristian Romero, according to Calderon, was the primary reason for his departure.

Romero has now transferred to Tottenham Hotspur after passing his medical in London on Thursday night.

Speaking with talksport, Calderon said, “Everyone thinks he’s still one of the best, if not the best player in the world. Barcelona will be weaker and their rivals will have to be happy,”

“In the case of Barcelona, it is not the problem with money. Messi had some requests to strengthen the team, mainly signing Romero, the defender from Atalanta.

“That seems the main reason”, he said.