Paul Higham looks at the fall out from the Lionel Messi saga, why it was handled so badly and what happens next.
It was a gripping narrative, the biggest will-he-won’t-he transfer story involving possibly the greatest player we’ve ever seen on a football pitch – but unlike what Messi has done in front of goal over 700 times, the finish was far from satisfactory.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been doing his best to run this most majestic of clubs into the ground, and his handling of the Messi situation illustrates this perfectly.
After a plethora of dodgy big-money signings, the team wasn’t improving, it was ageing with no real signs of progression and Messi, reluctantly, knew that at 33 he had no time to be part of a total rebuild.
For the entire season, Messi was telling Bartomeu he wanted to leave, but the latter did not want to be the Barca president that allowed their superstar to leave – not on his watch. The president has got his way.
He’s won the battle, but one way or another he’ll lose the war.
Messi let down by president – forced to stay
Many fans in Barcelona are actually saddened, and are not rejoicing at their talisman, their footballing everything, staying at Camp Nou for another season, as it’s clear that it’s not what the play himself wants.
A key quote from his interview with Goal shows that he was thinking of the club more than perhaps the president was: “There was nothing wrong with wanting to leave. I needed it, the club needed it and it was good for everyone.”
The club prayed on Messi’s affinity with them, dug their heels in on a clause that may or may not have been active, but was certainly in that contract and, on good faith, should have been activated if the player so desired.
Messi has responded by staying, but making sure the world knows he doesn’t want to stay, and voicing his honest opinions about the shambolic running of this iconic institution.
Another key takeaway though is that is shows Messi is angry and annoyed at Bartomeu and the club's directors, not the club, so while his relationship with the key decision makers right now seems in tatters, there is a glimmer of hope that he may yet see out his playing days in with Barca.
Presidential elections key to Messi’s future
Already a much-maligned president for Barca’s fortunes on the pitch, Bartomeu will be out come March 15 when the presidential elections come around – and club politics could now be the only way that Messi could be persuaded to stay.
Ronald Koeman could be a big loser in all this as one of the favourites Victor Font has already said he’ll bring in club legend Xavi as the new manager, and look to use Messi going forward as coach or a guiding hand for the club’s young player development.
If - and with the January transfer window lurking it is a sizeable ‘if’ - Messi remains at the club until March, then a new face at the helm could heal these wounds inflicted by mistrust and misdeeds from Bartomeu.
Old friend Xavi returning could also evoke memories of those glory days in Messi’s mind and it might, just might, be enough for him to sign a new contract with the club. We know his family is desperate to stay and as much as we portray him as a footballing god – off the pitch he’s a husband and a father.
There are so many factors in this that Messi’s head must be spinning as much as all those defenders he’s turned inside out over the years – and, what’s more, we’ll re-run all this in January.
What next for Messi and Barcelona?
- Messi leaves for free next summer
Lionel Messi - the ultimate free agent. Barcelona would become a laughing stock if they let this modern footballing great leave the club for nothing. Even at 33, he’s still produced some wonderful numbers this last season (below), and he’s got a few more years left in him yet.
Maybe it’ll be Barcelona’s own Last Dance season with Messi wanting to sign off in style, but if he’s still got ambitions of winning trophies elsewhere then it’s a lot to ask for him to give his all when he knows he’ll be leaving.
He’ll have a new club, or at least one in mind, and a big injury could put that in serious jeopardy. You’d never have Messi as a player who’d down tools but it would be hard subconsciously to give maximum effort right to the end.
Barca could have previously tried to style it out as giving Messi the free transfer he deserves after two decades of immense service, and it’d be a very Barcelona thing to do – but not now we know what’s gone on this summer..
- Messi leaves in January for a small fee
This could actually be more humiliating for Barcelona as they have to try and negotiate with clubs like Man City or PSG over a fee for Messi with his contract winding down – especially when he could just sign for one of them for free in the summer.
Their only hope would be to start a bidding war, maybe with Inter Milan involved, but while that would work with any other player, it won’t with Messi.
Now he’s being forced to see out his contract he will decide where he goes next – make no mistake about that.
- Messi signs a new contract
The dream for Barcelona – and maybe what Bartomeu is thinking by putting his foot down now.
Maybe he’s not as incompetent as everyone thinks, maybe he knows that he’ll be gone next March and maybe he thinks Xavi coming in as new manager is the only thing that can keep Messi at the club for the rest of his career?
It’s a stretch, but let’s play-out the dream scenario where Philippe Coutinho stays and shows just why they paid Liverpool all that money for him. Where Antoine Griezmann shows why he’s a World Cup winner, and where Ousmane Dembele finally regains fitness and plays like a £100m man.
While we’re at it let’s throw in a proper breakout season for teenager Ansu Fati who starts playing like a teenaged Messi used to.
The club get their mojo back, and Messi decides to commit the rest of his career to Barca. It’s unlikely, but this saga has taught us to expect the unexpected.
The right option - why Messi should've gone
There are seemingly only those three options now for Messi and Barca going forward – but a fourth is the one that should have happened, and could yet still happen if the club see sense.
This option seems unlikely right now, but it’s undoubtedly the best one for all concerned – firstly, when you think about what Messi’s been through and it’s impossible to think he’ll be at 100 percent this season. At least at the start.
The only good outcome of him staying right now is he signs a new contract, but what damage will have been done by March? Will it all just go back to being happy families by then? It’s a risky play.
No, even if they didn’t want to lose Messi for free - and, let’s face it, who would - the grown-up discussion would be if they could come up with a fee somewhat south of €700m whereby they’d let Messi go but had some fund to reinvest – it could do both parties the world of good.
His mind will be wandering and the closer it gets to the January window, and then next summer, the more he’ll be thinking about his next move.
If he signs a pre-contract in January he’ll not be going all-out for fear of injury, if he’s waiting to become a free agent the same applies.
Barca have kept Messi, but they surely won’t have THE Messi that we all know and love – and then they lose the greatest player who’s ever lived FOR FREE next summer.
Like we said earlier, they’ve won the battle, but ultimately they’ll lose the war. And there are no winners in war, just as there are no winners in this messy Messi situation.
