Of course it is all about business and politics rather than football, but still the news was a little bit shocking that Lionel Messi will not, after all, be renewing his contract with Barcelona. Or will he?
Barcelona has just announced that because of financial restraints from La Liga, they will not be able to sign a contract recently agreed with their greatest player ever. Stories started flying around about which mega-mogul-backed outfit might be able to snag this money-spinning fan magnet. PSG? A North American franchise?
In a beautiful paragraph in the Times, Henry Winter wrote:
"This is more than a club story, this is global. Visitors thought the Sagrada Familia would be finished in Barcelona before Messi. For those admiring this great conurbation's myriad attractions, the immediate reaction was to try somehow to imagine the impossible: the Nou Camp without Messi, the city of Antoni Saudi, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro without this footballing artist in residence, as he has been since October 16, 2004 when he came on in the 82nd minute against Espanyol. Art followed Deco."
[thank you for that, Henry. One of the reasons I love football writing!]
It may well be, however, that this is just the opening salvo in an attempt to force Barcelona out of the European Super League alliance, i.e., if you commit to La Liga instead of breaking away, we might be able to do something about the current salary cap that would allow you to sign Messi up after all. We must wait and see.
Meanwhile, I share with you above a fans-eye view of a Messi goal I saw back in 2015 when I went to see Barcelona 2-2 Deportivo La Coruna. My camera battery had died, but I had just enough space left in my phone to record this free-kick.
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