Maxi López has left FC Barcelona to join Russian Premier League side FC Moscow.

The giant Argentine forward will join FC Moscow for a fee of €2 million, €4.2 million less than how much Barça paid to sign him from River Plate in the winter of 2005 as a replacement for Henrik Larsson, who picked up a serious knee injury which ruled him out for the majority of the 2004/05 title winning season.

In his time at Barça, Maxi won two Spanish league titles, a Champions League title and a Spanish Supercup.

His high point in a Barcelona shirt was his UEFA Champions League debut, where he came on as a substitute against Chelsea at the Camp Nou and scored one and setup another for strike partner Samuel Eto'o as Barça came from 0-1 down to defeat Chelsea 2-1.

Despite that, he found playing time hard to come by and goals even rarer and he was pushed even lower down the pecking order following Henrik Larsson's recovery from his knee injury and the emergence of Lionel Messi. In 1 and a half seasons at Barça, Maxi made 18 appearances and scored just the one goal (in his Champions League debut against Chelsea).

He spent last season out on loan at Real Mallorca where he made 25 appearances for the side from the Balearic Islands but once again found finding the back of the net difficult, getting only 2 goals.

Speaking in his final press conference in Barcelona, Maxi said that he was "leaving a great club,";

"Barça will always be in my heart because the club gave me the chance to play in Europe for the first time," he said.

"I am leaving a great club, a hard-working squad and friends that shown me a lot of support.

"I have made many friends here and it has been brilliant. The fans have always supported me too and I will always remember that."

Commenting on his move to the Russian capital, he said he was impressed by the ambition of FC Moscow, who currently sit in 3rd place in the Russian Premier League.

"We looked for the easiest option for both clubs," he added.

"FC Moscow wanted me to join very quickly. They are playing for trophies and that attracted me. I want to continue to learn as much as possible."