Messi leaves Barcelona after 21 years

Everyone who knows Messi would give Barcelona as the synonym for the Argentine superstar and vice versa. The Albiceleste grew up in Barcelona, having graduated from its famed La Macia to make his senior league debut in October 2004 against Espanyol.

The Argentine has graced the grandest stages of football and sits in the extraordinary class of the all-time greats with former Real Madrid and current Juventus star, Christiano Ronaldo. He has over the last decades created an image and reputation for himself as a serial winner and the successes on the pitch have been enormous. Trophies upon trophies, records upon records, they came falling under his feet. Opponents watched in awe as he scored for fun and played like football was made for him.

La Liga and Barcelona have enjoyed their fair share of his reputation. Broadcasting deals and sponsorships have flown in to feast on his image. He carried Barcelona when they needed him and when he was not able to carry them, they often more than not faltered.

This day was coming but fans did not expect it so soon. When The Catalans were humiliated by Bayern in the Champions League two seasons ago, it set the tone for this conversation to be had. Messi was fed up, he had no trust in the project of the club he had called home for two decades.

Heads rolled at the Catalan club. Josep Maria Bartomeu stepped down after he could no more handle the tumour that he had supervised its growth. His effort to hold on to power and hand over after the elections did not work and he stepped down in October 2020, paving way for a new era.

Then-candidate Joan Laporta prioritized Messi’s contract renewal after the Argentine had opted to stay to complete his last year of the contract he was tied to. Messi’s reason was that he does not want to engage the only club he has known in the last two decades in a legal tussle.

The hope for Barcelona fans who then heaved a sigh of relief following the announcement that Messi would honour the final year in his contract was that a deal can be reached to extend his stay with the Catalan giants., Club president, Laporta worked to offer Messi a deal that will ensure he has a role at the club even after retirement. That was convincing but certainly, it has proven not enough.

Messi will depart the club this summer after his team and the club failed to reach a deal according to a statement on the club’s official website. The blame is on the pandemic which has affected the Catalans already strained finance. That coupled with La Liga’s strict adherence to Financial Fair Play and wage caps has shortened the hands of the Catalans and they would have to for the first time in over a decade not have Messi stroll up and down the Nou Camp.

How will that affect Barcelona who had hoped to mount a serious challenge both on the domestic and European fronts? How will that impact their finances and the outlook of the entire league? These are questions that would need no MBA in finance to answer but what is said is different from what is felt. It was the talk of the impact, the time has come to feel it.

For the first time since 2009, La Liga will be without both Ronaldo and Messi. The former joined Real Madrid when Messi was already playing for the classic rivals. And since his departure to Juventus in 2018, Messi has been there to keep the flame of the galacticos in the league but that is history as now as per this latest development in Catalan.

Messi has turned out for Barcelona 778 times, scoring 672, 268 assists and won 34 trophies. He has also racked in a further 32 appearances and 11 goals for the youth sides. He leaves topping the club’s all-time record appearance and goalscoring charts as well as assists and trophies. It has been an incredible 17 seasons at the highest level for Barcelona. The name is Lionel Andrés Messi.

By: Clifford Adumbire | myactiveonline.com