At his final press conference as a Barcelona player, Lionel Messi sobbed. Messi has played 778 games for the Catalan club since making his senior debut in 2003, collecting 672 goals. He stated he wanted to continue at the club and had even agreed to a 50% pay cut in exchange for a new contract. Barcelona, on the other hand, couldn’t even afford a bargain Messi.
Why is Lionel Messi’s Barcelona exit a football tragedy?
Messi has been with Barcelona for over two decades and is the club’s most decorated player. His children are Argentine-Catalan as well.
When things didn’t go well on the field, there were multiple efforts at brinkmanship, including a request to leave the club before the 2020-21 season. Josep Bartomeu, the club’s former president, had a tense relationship with him. When Joan Laporta took over as Bartomeu’s replacement, Messi pledged his future to Barcelona.
He was a free agent on July 1st, and a new deal was being negotiated.
“Everything was agreed upon, but it couldn’t happen at the final minute.” I really wanted to remain this year, but I couldn’t. “I said last year that I didn’t want to stay,” Messi added.
Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi Copa America final, Lionel Messi Argentina vs. Brazil, Lionel Messi first international trophy, Lionel Messi emotion Argentina’s Lionel Messi kneels at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after the end of the Copa America final soccer match (AP Photo)
What did Barcelona say on Messi’s exit?
Barcelona announced on August 5 that Messi “will not continue” with the club in a statement. A day later, Laporta said: “Leo wanted to stay and the Club wanted him to stay, but with the LaLiga rules it has not been possible.”
The club hoped to extend the 34-year-contract old’s for another two years, but LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) laws made that impossible. Barcelona’s wage-to-turnover ratio must be 70% according to the rules.
Why can’t Barcelona afford Messi?
Even if he had played for free, Barcelona would not have been able to re-sign the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. With Messi on board, the club’s wage-to-turnover ratio was 110 percent, according to Laporta. Without him, the percentage would have been 95%, much above the FFP cut-off.
The club’s debt has surpassed GBP 1 billion, according to the latest financial report, which includes money owing for Philippe Coutinho and Frenkie de Jong. Their first-team squad has a pay expenditure of roughly GBP 235 million per year.
“First and foremost, I’d want to state that we have inherited a bad legacy from the previous board,” Laporta explained.
“There’s no room to manoeuvre and the (FFP) rules mark the limits… we had to accept an agreement that mortgaged the Club’s TV rights for half a century and FC Barcelona is above everything else.”
Is this the end of Messi at Barcelona?
A emotional farewell suggests as much. Messi has been the most lucrative player in the Spanish league in terms of commercial deals and TV rights, and some pundits believe this is a pressure strategy by Barcelona to get LaLiga to relax its FFP restrictions. On the heels of Barcelona confirming Messi’s departure, Real Madrid released a statement criticizing LaLiga.
Is Messi going to Paris Saint-Germain?
Messi remained tight-lipped about his next move. However, he is said to have spoken with PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, and the club is planning an Eiffel Tower reveal for Messi.
PSG is one of the few clubs in the world who can afford the 34-year-old. Messi’s visit might also open up massive economic opportunities ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as he is owned by Qatari businessmen.
