I Thought Someone Hacked Barcelona's Account" — Aguero Reveals Shock at Messi's 2021 Exit

By CM News Sports Desk | June 10, 2026

Sergio Aguero has revealed that when Barcelona officially announced Lionel Messi's departure in August 2021, his first reaction was disbelief — convinced that the club's social media accounts had been hacked. The confession, made during an interview with journalist José Alvarez on El Chiringuito, offers a rare personal window into one of football's most stunning and heartbreaking transfer stories.

Key Facts

- Lionel Messi departed FC Barcelona in August 2021 after 20 years at the club

- Barcelona were unable to renew his contract due to severe financial constraints and La Liga's salary cap regulations

- Sergio Aguero had joined Barcelona in July 2021 specifically to play alongside Messi

- During the 2021 Copa America, Messi carried a Barcelona shirt in his room, telling Aguero for several days: "I think my contract has been renewed — tonight let's take a picture together" [GiveMeSport]

- Aguero and Messi never played a single competitive match together for Barcelona

- Aguero retired from football in December 2021 at age 33 due to a cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis [sportskeeda]

The Moment Aguero Found Out

Speaking with El Chiringuito's José Alvarez, Aguero described his reaction when Barcelona's official announcement went public: "When the whole thing with Leo happened, I thought someone must have hacked Barcelona's social media accounts. I thought, this is a joke." [goal]

Aguero recalled that he was with popular Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos drinking mate when it happened. Ibai looked at his phone and said: "No, is this true?" — showing Aguero the official Barcelona announcement. [sportskeeda]

The shock was not simply that of a football fan watching his club lose its greatest player. It was personal. Aguero had left Manchester City, where he had spent a decade as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever strikers, specifically because Barcelona offered him the chance to finally play alongside his closest friend in club football.

A Dream Built and Shattered in Weeks

Aguero had been told by Manchester City five or six months before his contract expired that it would not be renewed. He began looking for a new club, and Barcelona's approach was appealing precisely because Messi was there. [sportskeeda]

What made the situation particularly cruel was how certain both men had been that the plan would work. Messi was so confident his new Barcelona deal would be finalised that he brought a Barca shirt with him to the 2021 Copa America, telling Aguero for three or four days that the paperwork was almost done and they should take a photo together once it was confirmed. [GiveMeSport]

Aguero later told Spanish radio station RAC1 that during the Copa America, Messi had told him things were being sorted out. "I thought 'good,' but I didn't want to ask him every day," Aguero said. [ESPN]

Within weeks of Aguero's arrival at Camp Nou, the dream was gone.

How Barcelona's Financial Crisis Ended an Era

Messi's departure was not a transfer in the conventional sense. There was no buying club circling, no offer that tempted the player away, no contract dispute driven by ambition or money. Instead, it was an institutional collapse that forced the greatest player in Barcelona's history out through the back door.

Barcelona's financial position had deteriorated dramatically over several years, worsened by the economic impact of the pandemic. By the summer of 2021, the club's wage bill had reached approximately 110 per cent of its total revenue — a figure so extreme that La Liga's financial fair play regulations made it impossible to register Messi's new contract, even after he had agreed to a significant wage reduction.

Barcelona players who had been Messi's teammates were equally stunned. Sergio Busquets said: "It was shocking. I couldn't believe it. I saw the news and was speechless." [sportskeeda] The Amazon Prime documentary series covering that period later captured the reactions of players in real time, revealing a dressing room in genuine disbelief.

Messi held an emotional press conference at Camp Nou on August 8, 2021, during which he broke down in tears — an image that remains one of the most striking in modern football history. He subsequently joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, reuniting with former Barcelona teammate Neymar.

A Friendship That Transcended Clubs

The story of Aguero and Messi goes far beyond football. The two men made 90 appearances together for the Argentina national team over 15 years, recording 18 combined goal contributions. Off the pitch, their bond runs even deeper — Messi is the godfather of Aguero's son, Benjamin. [sportskeeda]

Their shared dream of playing together at club level had been a long-running storyline in football. At international level they had won everything together, including the 2021 Copa America — Argentina's first major tournament triumph in 28 years. To finally share a club dressing room felt like the natural completion of that journey.

Fate had other ideas. Aguero played just five matches for Barcelona before being forced into early retirement due to his heart condition. [sportskeeda] He and Messi never shared the pitch for their club.

Why the Story Still Resonates

Aguero's recollection continues to circulate because it captures something that statistics and trophy tallies cannot: the human cost of football's financial realities. Two friends, both at the tail end of extraordinary careers, were denied something they had planned and looked forward to — not through any failure of will, but through circumstances entirely outside their control.

The quote itself — that he assumed Barcelona had been hacked — has become one of the most memorable lines in modern football commentary precisely because it expresses, with accidental clarity, just how unthinkable Messi's departure genuinely was. Not just for supporters, but for those closest to him.

What Happened Next

Messi spent two seasons at PSG before joining Inter Miami in MLS in 2023, where he continues to play. His return to Barcelona has been a subject of recurring speculation, though no move has materialised. Aguero, meanwhile, has remained a prominent media personality and content creator since his retirement, maintaining his close friendship with Messi and remaining one of football's most candid voices.

Conclusion

Sergio Aguero's account of learning about Messi's Barcelona departure is more than an anecdote — it is a reminder of just how seismic that moment was, even for those at the centre of it. A friendship forged over 15 years of international football, a shared dream of playing together at club level, and a financial crisis that ended it all in a matter of days. For Aguero, the disbelief never fully faded. For football, the image of Messi weeping at Camp Nou remains a defining moment of the modern era.

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