BARCELONA made such a quick getaway after their Champions League humiliation they left star player Lionel Messi behind.
The Spanish giants were left stunned as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool which saw them dumped out of Europe.
Barca’s belief that their 3-0 victory in the first-leg had sealed the tie went up in smoke as they collapsed under the pressure Liverpool put them under.
And after the match the La Liga champions wasted little time getting cleaned up and boarding the coach to make an exit to the airport to catch their flight home.
But so quick were they to make their departure, they left star man Messi at Anfield.
The brilliant forward had been summoned to give a urine sample by Uefa doping officials immediately after the final whistle blew.
That process took longer than had been anticipated, meaning the rest of the squad and backroom staff were all packed up and ready to go while Messi was still in doping control.
So Barca officials decided not to delay any longer and ordered the coach to depart without their 31-year-old talisman.
Instead they made arrangements for the Argentine to make his own way to Liverpool airport along with a team official.
It meant the superstar cut a lonely and dejected figure as he made his way past reporters in the mixed zone at Anfield into a waiting car.
Barca stars have been left shattered by their defeat, and apologised to their supporters for letting them down.
Midfielder Sergio Busquets said: “They have been better than us. I apologise.
“After what happened in Rome, this happened again. It’s tough to go out like this after the first-leg result.
“Liverpool have been smarter than us, they were faster. I think we had chances to score the goal we needed, but it wasn’t meant to be today.”
