Barcelona intensive care unit filled with Covid-19 patients as cases spike

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣

According to the Israeli club, Barcelona did not want to play the match in Jerusalem, prompting Beitar's managers to call off the game.

Barcelona, Spain - August 05, 2021 - FC Barcelona officially announced that Lionel Messi would not be returning to the club.

Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi admits during his farewell press conference that he "never imagined having to say goodbye" to Barcelona after more than 20 years at the club.

Barcelona fans react to the news that legend Lionel Messi is leaving the club. "We're sad and resigned to the fact that the era of Messi and Barca is over," says one fan.

Barcelona players train without Lionel Messi, after the club ruefully accepted it cannot afford the star player who joined Barcelona aged 13 and went on to lift 10 league crowns and four Champions Leagues. The team will face Juventus on Sunday for the Gamper Trophy pre-season game.

Argentina's Messi arrives at Barcelona airport after striking deal with PSG

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi arrived in France on Tuesday (August 10) to finalise a transfer to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) after reaching a deal with the club following his shock departure from Barcelona. The agreement is a major coup for wealthy PSG, who will add one of the greatest players of all time to an already formidable front line that includes Brazil's Neymar and young Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.

Lionel Messi says he is "extremely happy" after signing a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, as he speaks during a press conference for his official presentation at Parc des Princes.

FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman urges to avoid "living in the past" ahead of the first Liga match of the post-Lionel Messi era on Sunday 15 August against Real Sociedad.

A ceremony takes place on the same street in the heart of Barcelona where a van ploughed over dozens of people in 2017, leaving 16 dead and 140 injured. Two of the attack's perpetrators were sentenced to 53 and 46 years in prison earlier this year.

Barcelona reinforces security to prevent a party frenzy once the coronavirus-related curfew is lifted in the Catalan capital. Citizens have voiced mixed reactions.