FC Barcelona has been on the hot pot of the football world the past few days following developments on Lionel Messi’s questionable future with the club.
The Argentinian superstar has been instrumental in the success of the Catalan club, winning both multiple La Liga and Copa del Rey titles. He also guided them to three UEFA Champions League title finishes.
Managerial issues in recent seasons made the Spanish giants fail to maintain their high-end calibre. Their failure to qualify for the Champions League finals since 2017 is a big evidence of their inconsistent form. Even worse, they failed to win any trophies last season.
Following the horrendous results, it was time for Messi to call it quits with the club after almost 20 years, with reports that he’s asking to cancel his contract and activate his release clause amounting to €700 million. Now, fresh reports are claiming the clause does not even exist anymore as it expired after the 2019/20 season.
According to Goal, Messi is asking for a meeting with the Barcelona board as he wishes to leave Camp Nou on good terms. Reports also suggest that Messi’s relation with the club greatly deteriorated in recent months over “bad decisions” made under president Josep Maria Bartomeu such as the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and the sacking of Ernesto Valverde mid-season.
Things will surely have an effect on both Messi and Barcelona once the Argentinian totally decides to leave.
With Messi linked to the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and surprisingly Juventus, he can start a fresh challenge in new pastures before hanging his boots up. The only question that remains for these clubs is if they are willing to splash the cash for him.
Messi is uncontested on the mantle of being Barcelona best ever player but his legacy will definitely take a major hit if he decides to leave. The 6-time Ballon d’Or winner has been the face of the team for the past two decades.
The mammoth-sized release clause is only indicative of his playing prowess. It is also a fee not many clubs will be able to afford. Relationships might turn ugly in his final year with the Blaugrana and as he decides to leave for free next summer. Anybody who thought that he would never think of leaving, stand corrected now.
Surely, FC Barcelona are on the verge of a big rebuild to make up for those forgettable seasons. The only thing that remains hanging is whether Messi will hang around to be a part of their future.
Both parties are facing big uncertainties and no one knows what lies ahead of these shocking developments within the club. But one thing is for sure: it will surprise the football world for good or bad.
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