As his story in Barcelona seems to be coming to an end, Lionel Messi is all the headlines at the moment, be them footballing ones or not, and be them good or bad.
The Argentine needs no introduction. A six-time Ballon D’Or winner, four-time Champions League winner, and 10 La Liga titles to add to that. His and Barcelona’s dominance of Europe has been a joy to watch since he exploded onto the scene way back in 2005, but now it seems to be coming to an end.
Barcelona are no longer the force that they once were. The era of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Carles Puyol and so many more is long gone, and Messi is adamant that he wants to be out of the Nou Camp this summer.
But the 33-year-old’s perceived selfishness in the face of a move can be interpreted in two ways. It can indeed be deemed selfishness: Shouldn’t the club that gave Messi the platform and subsequent life that he’s lived deserve a little more respect from the man himself?
Or, does the respect need to go the other way? Barcelona are a globally recognized brand, for sure, but would they have had the success and recognition they’ve had in the past couple of decades if it weren’t for Messi? And does the club in fact owe Messi an ounce of respect?
It’s a debate that will surely go down in the annals of football history. “Do you remember when Messi tried to leave Barcelona?,” people of the future will say. “Yeah, I do, and I still can’t believe all the drama that unfolded.”
But the “drama” that currently surrounds Messi and Barcelona is nothing new. In fact, this kind of financial “tug of war” perfectly sums up the flaws of our modern game.
This week, the La Liga board have sided with Barcelona in saying that any suitor needs to match Messi’s 750 million euro release clause to sign him this summer. Whilst other reports claim that the clause does not apply when the player is in the final season of his contract.
Messi signed a four year deal with Barcelona back in 2017 which would in-turn keep him in Spain until the summer of 2021. But after another subpar season for the Catalan club, capped off by an 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in Champions League, Messi no longer sees a future for himself at the club.
All of Inter, PSG, and Manchester City have been touted with the 33-year-old, and Juventus have even been tipped with the unlikely unification of both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But news continues to stall and continues to favor the Spanish club rather than the player.
The Argentine is no longer seen as a footballer, or even as a person, but as an asset. Messi is an asset that, if Barcelona lose, could spell the end of the story of their modern dominance, bringing about the end of an era that would likely see Barca fall well behind in the Spanish rankings.
Clubs like Manchester City, on the other hand, see Messi as a prize possession. Not only would they have one of the best footballers of a generation, but the marketing that Messi would bring to Manchester City is the main benefactor from City’s point of view.
Imagine the shirt sales with “Messi 10” on the back. The number of fans that would travel across the world just to come and see Messi play in England. The increased TV time and subsequent money that the City would receive. Signing Messi is not just “signing Messi,” it’s signing a whole other entity.
This “tug of war” that we’re seeing then, seemingly between La Liga, Messi, and the likes of City and PSG, is no doubt a bi-product of all that is good and bad about our modern game. Most agree that we won’t see Messi in a Barca shirt again and if we do, it just wouldn’t be the same.
It’d be harsh viewing and a sad story to see one of the greats playing against his will, and even harsher to see a club like Barcelona fall from grace with the potential exit of a player like Messi. But all that has unfolded – the bitterness, the debates about money and so on – seeing all of that over one player, that’s what this move will be remembered for, and it perfectly sums up all that is wrong with football today.