Messi leaves Barcelona. The End or A Power Play between Laporta and Tebas?

The long relationship between Lionel Messi and Barcelona has now come to an end. Or has it? On Thursday evening, Barcelona announced that they could not sign Lionel Messi to a new deal. This was a shock as the Argentine and the club agreed on a new deal where the player will take a 50% wage cut with an announcement imminent. However, strange turns of events saw Barcelona unable to sign Messi to a new deal, leaving the Argentine a free agent, which he has been since July 1st when his former Barcelona contract expired.

It is a very bitter pill to swallow for Barcelona fans as the greatest player the football club has ever seen is gone. A relationship between the player and the club spans over twenty years when Messi was in La Masia before making his first-team debut in November 2003 and has gone on to make 778 appearances, scoring 672 goals and winning 35 trophies with the Catalan club. Although this scenario was there, it is still a shock as some thought Messi would see out his career at Barca, especially after the election of Barca president, Joan Laporta, with who Messi has a good relationship and was adamant that he will get Messi to stay at the Camp Nou.

However, the club finances just made it all but impossible. Under the stewardship of Laporta's predecessor, Josep Bartomeu, Barcelona's finances took a big hit, and it was coming but the pandemic made it possible for everyone to see. With debts exceeding over a billion euros, lost revenue and a ballooning wage bill that is the biggest in all of world sport, Barca needed to clear out players for Messi to stay but that plan has failed with the club unable to get the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic and Antonie Griezmann off the wage bill.

Although this story looks to be over, it may not be. Laporta has announced a press conference on Friday morning to give an update regarding Messi's contract situation. Plus, from the statement from the Barcelona website, La Liga regulations and structural obstacles have made the renewal not go ahead as La Liga has strict rules regarding club finances. So, it leaves a big squabble between Laporta and La Liga President, Javier Tebas.  Barcelona wants to keep Messi but wants to force Tebas' hand in registering players and club finances. Tebas has so far has held firm, despite knowing they could lose Messi, after losing Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar since 2017.

This also does not include the European Super League fiasco that Barcelona and Real Madrid are still a part of and oppose the deal between La Liga and CVC Capital Partners with a cash injection of 2.7 billion euros. So Barcelona alongside Real Madrid does not see eye to eye with La Liga. As for Messi, as a free agent, Messi is free to talk with any club and the two favourites are Manchester City and PSG. PSG is the favourites now as City has now signed Jack Grealish and are interested in Harry Kane. Paris Saint-Germain can cover his wages and he will be reunited with Neymar, with whom he shared a good relationship when they were together in Spain. 

The story looks finished but Barcelona will be doing anything to get their wish while Messi can potentially be in another jersey. Weird.