To believe or not to believe? That seems to be the dilemma surrounding Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona after 18 years with the club. Did the team really release a brief four-paragraph statement announcing his exit? And did the pandemic season, played without fans in attendance, really mark the end of his era? It’s worth noting that Messi was also on the brink of leaving last year. While some Barcelona commentators have already begun thanking Messi for his contributions, many fans remain skeptical until they hear directly from Joan Laporta in a press conference scheduled for Friday morning at 10am. Barcelona’s statement is particularly intriguing, as it claims there was mutual agreement between Messi and the club for him to stay, and places the blame for his exit on LaLiga.
It is widely speculated that Lionel Messi will not retire after playing just one season in a vacant Nou Camp stadium.
Barcelona has made an official statement announcing the departure of Lionel Messi after an 18-year association with the club. This decision came just a day after La Liga revealed a new deal with American investors that would provide Spanish football with a cash injection of €2.7 billion (£2.29bn) in exchange for 10% of the money generated from TV rights over the next four decades. However, both Barcelona and Madrid have expressed their displeasure with the agreement. Madrid issued a statement claiming that the deal was brokered illegally without them. The two clubs see it as a loss of their TV rights, with the new deal seeing them lose 10% of television revenue for the next 40 years. Furthermore, they are unhappy that La Liga blocked the Super League scheme, which could have brought in more money from a US investment fund. Even with the new cash injection, La Liga still retains control over how the funds are spent, with 70% of the money allocated for infrastructure, 15% for debt restructuring, and only 15% for players. This raises questions about whether Barcelona and Madrid are taking on La Liga or if this is simply a strategic move by Laporta to demonstrate the consequences of displeasing their American investment partners, potentially resulting in losing a star player like Messi.
Barcelona has attributed their inability to come to a new contract agreement with Messi to La Liga. However, Laporta is set to address the speculation during his appearance at Camp Nou on Friday. It remains uncertain if Messi, who had previously agreed to a 50% salary decrease in his new contract, will join the president. Barcelona fans can expect Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay, and Sergio Aguero in the team’s front line next season. Aguero, who was signed to keep Messi, has reportedly purchased a Ferrari since joining Barcelona. With Messi gone, the Catalan newspapers are expected to use the phrase ‘Now what?’ as the club declares the departure of their greatest player.
It’s possible that President Joan Laporta, who recently posed for a picture with Memphis Depay, may be able to provide more information on Lionel Messi’s departure from the club.