Last evening, 5 August 2021, the unthinkable in the world of football, or so it seemed, happened.
FC Barcelona’s statement dropped in hundreds of mailboxes around the globe stating that they would not be able to re-sign Lionel Messi, causing a meltdown among fans and experts.
FC Barcelona and Messi’s fairy tale bond of more than two decades had soured in recent years with the champion forward speaking about leaving the club in August last year, after the 8-2 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich.
That and a bunch of other not so big issues snowballed leading to a change in presidency at the club. Joan Laporta, a lawyer and a former parliamentarian, took charge, promising to leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep the Argentine at the club.
In the following months, Barca, plagued by financial problems apart from the effects of COVID-19, finished the season trophyless.
But the off-season hasn’t been a smooth ride so far despite the signings of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, and the reported agreement with Messi about a 50 percent haircut on his wages.
What Did FC Barcelona Say?
The club have been extremely confident of re-signing their superstar forward, however, with less than a fortnight to go for the season, Barcelona was tied down by regulations.
“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).
“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” the statement read.
On Friday, Barca President Laporta said at press conference, "Leo Messi goes along those lines. He has given us lots of joy and lots of sporting success. There are lots of images which will go down in history and we need to be eternally thankful to him."
"I hope we can overcome this situation and a new era starts now. There will be a before and after Leo, as there have been other great players at Barca."
What’s the Problem at Barcelona?
The club has been riddled with financial problems under the previous management and knee jerk reactions in the transfer market have hurt them badly. Currently, the problems are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barcelona’s biggest issue right now is related to their costs and wage bills which they need to reduce drastically to help the situation. La Liga president Javier Tebas had warned the club that they would not be allowed to register Messi's new deal if they were unable to reduce spending to comply with the league's financial fair play rules.
Barca's spending limit has been reduced from over 600 million euros to 347 million euros since the coronavirus pandemic, with further reductions expected to be imposed for the upcoming season, according to reports.
“..the losses are a lot more elevated than what we had expected. What we are spending is a lot more than we expected and the current contracts means we have this salary mass of great magnitude. This is all tied to fair play and it means we couldn't fit in the first contract we had agreed to with Leo Messi," Laporta said.
In response, the club have failed to do much with big earners such as Antoine Griezmann, Miralem Pjanic, Philippe Coutinho, and Samuel Umtiti and have also failed to reach an agreement with some of the longer-serving players over wage cuts.
Laporta reiterated the stand from the statement on Thursday that La Liga regulations were in the way of Barcelona and Messi.
“In the Spanish La Liga we have to abide by the rules, we think they could be more flexible but that's not an excuse. We couldn't abide by it because of the inheritance we have. Leo deserves everything, he's proved he loves Barca, his roots are here at Barca. I'm sad but I'm convinced we've done the best we can for the club of Barcelona."
According to reports in AP, Messi was set to make about 70 million euros per year under his new Barcelona contract, but it was never signed.
What Next for Messi?
Once the announcement came in from Barcelona, the biggest question was of course regarding Messi’s future.
A free agent since 1 July after his previous contract of more than 500 million euros ran out, Messi is effectively the most valuable free transfer in what is a highly complex and inflated market.
Notably, alongside the Messi announcement, Manchester City, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, confirmed the big money move of Jack Grealish breaking the British transfer record in a 100 million pound deal.
The other team that has been linked a few times recently with Messi is Paris Saint Germain, owned Qatar Sports Investment since 2011.
According to a report in ESPN, PSG are confident they can offer a deal if Messi does actually leave and don’t believe the latest move from Barcelona. Multiple reports also suggested that Messi's camp made contact with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo after Barca's announcement.
Messi according a report in AP has also spoken to PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Messi has also previously expressed a desire to play in the Major League Soccer in North America.
When Barcelona president Laporta was asked about a reversal in the situation, he hinted that it wasn't possible, pointing towards, again La Liga's policies.
"I don’t want to generate false hope, and during the course of negotiations, we have known that the player has other offers and there was a time limit for them. The first agreement was two years to be paid in five years and Leo agreed to that. He was always present in negotiations and he worked with us.
"We thought that would be allowed in the regulations of fair play but it’s not allowed here, as it is in other countries. La Liga also had its pressures because other clubs want rules to be abided by.
"The only way was to accept La Liga’s operation that wasn’t in Barca’s best interest. We can’t accept it affecting our future television rights."
Is this the end of the road for Messi and Barcelona or will La Liga step in, and Javier Tebas step back on his warning to the powers that be at Nou Camp?
The maestro meanwhile is in no hurry to decide.
Where is Lionel Messi?
Having only recently won his first major international trophy for Argentina when they beat Brazil in the Copa America final at the Maracana, Messi has been holidaying, and meeting fans in Miami.
Messi and his family were also seen with Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez and the with Paris Saint Germain’s Neymar, Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes and Angel di Maria. While Messi formed a fearsome attacking line in Barcelona with Suarez and Neymar, Paredes and Di Maria are Argentina teammates.
At Barcelona, Messi, who arrived in 2000, won a record six Ballon d’Ors and is the team’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, and the top scorer in La Liga with 474 goals in 520 matches. He also is the player with the most matches with the club.
The 34-year-old was the top scorer in La Liga in eight seasons, and the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League on six occasions. His 26 goals against Real Madrid are a record for El Clásicos.
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