Carles Puyol comes out in support of Lionel Messi’s wish to leave Barcelona

"All my support, mate."

Carles Puyol has come out in support of Lionel Messi, who today informed Barcelona of his desire to leave the club this summer. Messi has grown tired of the current regime at the club and wants to leave the club for free using a clause in his contract that would allow him to unilaterally terminate his contract. The club are expected to dispute this, claiming that the clause expired on June 10th, and fight to receive a fee for the player if he is to leave. Former Barcelona captain Puyol has become the first legend of the club to speak publicly on the issue, tweeting his support for Messi in the midst of a tragic situation for everyone associated with Barcelona. "Respect and admiration, Leo. All my support, mate," Puyol tweeted. https://twitter.com/Carles5puyol/status/1298315936592797697 Puyol was captain at Barcelona when Messi broke into the first team and the pair led La Blaugrana to numerous LaLiga titles together, winning two Champions League titles in 2009 and 2011. Puyol retired in 2014 after 15 seasons in the first team at the Camp Nou, and remains a devoted fan to his hometown club. He will be as distressed as any Barcelona fans by the current situation at the club, and his support for Messi speaks volumes about how widely derided the club's board are for allowing this crisis to happen.