The unthinkable has happened to FC Barcelona. Lionel Messi, the club’s iconic star, has informed the club that he wants to leave this summer, and is reportedly set to try and leave on a free transfer.
The news has sent shockwaves through the world of soccer, and the two big questions now are the following: Will Messi succeed in his bid to leave Barcelona? And if so, where will he wind up?
Messi’s unhappiness at Barcelona reached its breaking point after the team’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League elimination by Bayern Munich, a defeat that exposed the many flaws of an aging team left vulnerable by years of mismanagement and failed transfers.
Barcelona had hoped to undergo a rebuilding project under new manager Ronald Koeman, who had already begun the squad transformation by informing several long-standing starters, such as Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, that their time was up at the club.
Messi leaving would strike a catastrophic blow to Barcelona’s reconstruction project, particularly if he succeeds in leaving on a free transfer.
Reports have begun emerging identifying Manchester City, Manchester United and Inter Milan as three frontrunners for the 33-year-old star’s services, though at the moment it remains unclear whether Messi will actually be able to leave Barcelona, or if his latest move is simply a power play attempt to remove Barcelona’s current board of directors.
What do you think of this development? Where do you see Messi playing next season?
Share your thoughts below.
it’s complicated. the dates in the player contracts probably anticipate normal seasons with a little cushion. it is probably a specific date and not “after the end of the season.” so technically your contract might end, say, june 1, after a normal season would. and your option would be around then. ok, the season lasts through august this year. do we pretend your option is then? or is the option literally what it says which is probably right before the new term starts? sounds like barca is being literal and messi is saying the option would have to practically wait for the season to end. my guess would be since these teams might have the players busy year round, postseason friendlies, preseason camps, even in normal times, they will hold him to the calendar date for the option. this to me is how such things normally work, as shown by sabbi having to be granted an extension to finish hobro’s season before reporting to odense. contract says you move june 1, you move june 1, even if the season goes longer than expected. he’s a few paychecks into the contract year he’d be saying he got out of. they’ll probably say that though they try to match the end of contract to the season, the dates decide it. so if he was supposed to exercise the option in june to be out of the new year contract running june to next june, he missed it.
the real question is not would this stand up — i think he’s stuck — but how does barca deal with what would be instead understood as transfer request. do they let their long term player leave on a free as an expression of goodwill, or do they play hardball, either no exit or limit his options and ask for fort knox in a fee, which they probably could. his numbers “fell off” but by his standards his numbers would be astronomical relative to most players in the world. if they let him go but ask a fee even at age 33 it’s a huge amount. when they quickly say he missed his option date that suggests they will ask for big money from some mix of him or his new employer.
The other question being, do Barca want to pay him big, big money with his hamstring issue like so many have toward the end of their stay.
Or was it his back like Randy Johnson?
Did you say free? And it seemed foolish at the time, but the Sounders never replaced Ronriguez.
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Get Messi and open up the upper bowl for 17 sellouts next year.
Thanks