Messi said this during his farewell speech to Barcelona in a press conference on Sunday in Spain.
Barcelona had announced on Thursday that Messi would leave the club on a free transfer this summer transfer window.
The Blaugrana announced that the Argentine would not be signing a new contract due to LaLiga regulations.
“I would love to be able to go in a different way. I never imagined it this way. I didn’t think I would have to say goodbye,” Messi said.
“I imagined it with the team on the pitch, the last cheers. We have been playing without fans and it has been difficult not to hear them. And now I have to leave without seeing the fans for a year and a half.
“If I had imagined it, it would have been with all the fans. I hope I can come back and be part of this club again in any way and help it become the best in the world.
“We’ve not been able to play in front of fans for this last year because of the pandemic and it’s been difficult not to hear their cheers, not to have them nearby, not to hear them shouting my name.
“I leave this club now without seeing the fans for over a year and a half. If I imagine it, I would have imagined the Camp Nou being full and being able to say goodbye properly.
“But it has to be this way, and I’m so grateful for all the love that everyone has shown me because I’ve had some such great moments here over the years, some bad ones too but the love people have shown me has always been the same.”
