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In a shocking turn of events, Barcelona confirmed via their social media that Lionel Messi will not continue at the club from next season. After months of speculation and surreal predictions, this astonishing news has sent shock waves all around the footballing world.
If earlier reports were to be believed, Lionel Messi had never been closer to signing a contract extension with the club of his dreams, and the deal was supposed to be as good as done.
Nevertheless, the talismanic forward, who was left without a club post-July, is now the most lucrative free agent in the history of football after being let go by Barcelona in an unceremonious fashion.
Lionel Messi leaves after 21 years with Barcelona
Having signed his first contract as a 13-year-old on a piece of napkin, Barcelona has been more of a home for the gifted playmaker than his native in Argentina. Together, Lionel Messi and the Blaugrana have won a staggering 35 accolades, conquering every possible title under the sun.
The 34-year-old magician is the best player in the history of the club, by a mile. 672 goals in 778 appearances, topped with 305 assists. The numbers stop making sense after a point. His individual record at Barcelona is freakishly inhumane. A record-breaking six Ballon d'Or wins, eight Pichichi titles and three UEFA Best Player of the Year awards are just some of the insurmountable number of honors won by Lionel Messi in his 21-year stay at Camp Nou.
As it stands though, the little magician has officially left Barcelona. There exists, however, a hoard of reasons behind this exit. Even though financial restrictions are slated to be the driving factor behind Lionel Messi's untimely departure, this situation has been a long time in the making. Here, we deconstruct 5 such aspects of this unfortunate ordeal that resulted in one of the saddest break-ups in sporting history:
#5 Messi outgrowing the club
If one is stated in a position of control, one expects to see results based on the decisions he or she makes. Unfulfillment of those calls will result in obvious disappointment, leading to certain consequences that the person in question can choose, based on the degree of his power.
A similar case can be made out of Lionel Messi's stance with Barcelona. The Argentine was so important to the club, so much so that the organization went to any lengths to keep their talisman happy. The 26-time Spanish champions have been known to alter their decisions based on Lionel Messi's reactions. Case in point: Quique Setien's horrid tenure at Camp Nou.
Consequently, the sacking of Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal, two of the closest acquaintances to Lionel Messi, backfired for Barcelona. This, coupled with his lack of faith in Ronald Koeman's vision, propelled the Argentine to submit a transfer request last year.
Even though the Blaugrana managed to keep Lionel Messi at the club for one more season, they achieved it because of a technicality in his contract. Their relentless pursuit of making him stay made one thing clear. Lionel Messi's pulling power at Barcelona extended the boundaries needed to maintain a healthy relationship.
#4 Back-to-back Champions League humiliation
Barcelona have won five Champions League titles to date, four of which have come during the 'Lionel Messi era' of the club. Having played with one of the most organized footballing sides of our generation, the Argentine became a victim of gross mismanagement in his latter days. Following in the footsteps of fan-favorite Luis Enrique, former Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde could neither replicate his predecessor's impact on the club nor win the approval of the Barcelona faithful.
The Catalans' second-leg drubbing at the hands of Liverpool in the semi-finals of the 18/19 Champions League season will always stick out like a sore thumb, especially for Lionel Messi. The Argentine experienced one of his best individual campaigns on the continental stage that year, scoring 12 goals, including that audacious curler against the Reds.
However, for the second season running, Barcelona failed to secure the tie after a comprehensive first-leg win, crashing out of the competition with their tails between their legs. Roma in 2018, Liverpool in 2019, and an 8-2 humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich in 2020 completed a triad of humiliating defeats in the UCL, never before experienced by a club of Barcelona's stature. Having done his utter best, the latter brought Messi to the brink of total collapse.
Also read: Top 5 goals scored by Barcelona's Lionel Messi in finals
#3 Lack of a defined project at Barcelona
Perhaps the most understated but vital factor in the breakdown of his relations with Barcelona is that the absence of a visionary project morally drained Lionel Messi. After enjoying unparalleled dominance under Pep Guardiola, Barca have witnessed a steep decline in their on-field performances.
The 2009 sextuple-winning year saw one of the best sides ever assembled in the history of football. However, a club can only stay at the top if it respects time. After literally winning everything, Barcelona stalled for a long while, heavily relying on proven and aging players like Andres Iniesta and the aforementioned Lionel Messi, rather than planning for the future.
In variance, Bayern Munich were able to successfully evolve from the Robben-Ribery era to construct an effective squad, capable enough to compete at the top-most level for years to come. They brought in promising players and incorporated them into the team all the while phasing out older players who were getting past their primes. An astute business sense, combined with a planned strategy to counter a turbulent transitional period, meant that the Bavarians maintained a constant trajectory instead of indulging themselves in a power struggle.
Barcelona, who could be considered a club with a bigger stature than their German counterparts, are in financial ruins in sharp contrast. In Lionel Messi, the Spanish giants had the best player of all time on their books. Yet, they failed to structure a long and viable project for the future, resulting in their eventual downfall.
#2 Bartomeu's shady dealings that irked Lionel Messi
At the helm of everything that has been wrong with the historic club, former president Josep Bartomeu can be credited for single-handedly driving out Lionel Messi from Barcelona. The 58-year-old politician's shady past has sprung into the limelight, with the mastermind behind 'Barcagate' finally getting exposed.
Barcelona were accused of secretly hiring a PR company called I3 Ventures to structure their online presence. These allegations were initially denied by the club. Under the cloak of social media monitoring, the Spanish firm was tasked with building a more positive image of the then-president Bartomeu, all the while discrediting multiple Barca legends, including club icons Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Xavi, and many more.
Notoriously labeled as 'Barcagate', the scandal led to a police investigation and the ensuing arrest of Bartomeu. More importantly, this incident completely abolished whatever remaining faith Lionel Messi had in the board, further distancing him from the club.
#1 Prolonged financial mismanagement
Gone are the days of basing the squad around academy graduates, which ironically was the most successful era in Barcelona's history. Since 2014, the Catalan club have focussed more on signing established players for exorbitant fees in place of promoting in-house talents to bolster their reign at the top. Not only has this inane strategy failed catastrophically, but the subsequent financial implications have also crippled the club's current functioning.
Barcelona are drowning in debt, believed to be well over €1.2b with a huge chunk of it to be paid in the short-term. In addition, the Spanish giants infamously boast the highest wage bill for a sporting team on this planet. According to La Liga's financial measures, introduced in 2013, a team can only spend a controlled amount of money on their staff, in accordance with their annual income.
As a result, Barcelona can only reinvest 25% of what they earn, with their wage cap exceeding the stipulated limit by 40%. Hence, even after agreeing to substantial wage cuts with multiple players, the Catalans are neither at the capacity to pay Lionel Messi's salary nor register their newly signed players.
Years of financial mismanagement, coupled with the devastating pandemic that has economically drained certain clubs, has brought the biggest footballing institution in the world to their bare knees. Therefore, even with a verbal agreement in place, Barcelona were left with no choice other than to part ways with Lionel Messi.
