<
>

Messi tells Barcelona he wants out: How social media reacted

Even though it had been hinted at on more then a couple of occasions in 2020 alone, Tuesday's bombshell news that Lionel Messi has informed Barcelona of his desire to leave the club has left the sports world in a state of shock. And the sports world, and the world beyond sport, has weighed in on the matter: how this happened, why this happened, and where the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will go next.

With voices from all corners of the world sharing their thoughts on Messi's situation, ESPN rounded up a sampling of the social media reactions to news of the Barca captain's potential exit from the Camp Nou.

Very quickly, though, attention turned to where Messi would land next. For such a heralded player who's spent 20 years at the same club, the club he joined as a 13-year-old, naturally the transfer gossip went into overdrive.