FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg away match against Napoli. Feb. 25, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Lionel Messi has told the club he intends to leave this summer.

MADRID, Aug. 26  -- The news that broke on Tuesday that FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has told the club he intends to leave this summer has produced shockwaves in Spain, and has almost spawned more headlines in the country's newspapers than the rise in COVID-19 cases.

To say that the 33-year-old is the symbol of Barcelona is an understatement, and the fact that he wants to leave after 20 years in which he has given everything for the club highlights just how bad things have become at the Camp Nou, both on and off the field.

Rumors of Messi's discontent surfaced after their 8-2 Champions League humiliation by Bayern Munich less than a fortnight ago, with images of the player's head down in the tunnel before the start of the second half capturing his despair, as an aging team was ripped apart by the soon-to-be-crowned European champions.

Maybe that was the moment Messi looked around at the squad and realized his dream of another Champions League was impossible at Barca, with a squad that needed a complete overhaul with veterans leaving, new players arriving and time for the new squad to mature.

Unfortunately, a 33-year-old doesn't have the luxury of time on their side, and although Messi still ended the season as Barca and Spain's top scorer, there were signs that his body is starting to show the signs of 18 seasons in the elite, with more muscle problems and more games where he exerted less of an influence.