Saturday, May 1st, 2021
Messi and the mega-contract
The nightmare could be over for Barça
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Lionel Messi keeps FC Barcelona in suspense: Since he announced his departure last summer, all of Barça, the entire football world, has been waiting for a commitment from the superstar: for his club or for a new one. A decision is now apparently getting closer.
Will the shock soon be followed by redemption? FC Barcelona experienced a low blow from bankruptcy on Thursday evening: In the home game against FC Granada, the big club failed in the championship fight. Barça lost 1: 2 (0: 1) despite their clear dominance. Coach Ronald Koeman saw the red card just under half an hour before the end, and in the end the guests celebrated their first ever victory at FC Barcelona. Instead of storming to the top of the table, at least for the time being, Barca are now falling behind again.
But all that could quickly matter if what the “Times” and others write is true: Lionel Messi, club icon, multiple world footballer, club saint, should continue to play for FC Barcelona. The nightmare that has been going on since last summer, since the Argentine’s desire to flee, which was painful for everyone around the club, could come to an end.
According to this, Messi should sign a ten-year contract with the club for which the 33-year-old has been playing for two decades. This is the result of negotiations between the third place in the table of the Spanish La Liga and Jorge Messi – the father and advisor of the Argentine superstar. According to “Times” information, Messi would even cut back on his princely salary of over 670,000 euros per week. However, a decision has not yet been made in the Messi clan.
Offer from PSG?
According to the Times, Messi will not only be able to fulfill his dream of playing in the North American professional league MLS during his playing career, but will also be guaranteed a position as a club ambassador after his time as a professional footballer. In addition, a position in the club’s management should be reserved for Messi in the future. Most recently, the Spanish media reported that the sheikh club Paris Saint-Germain Messi had submitted a contract that was ready to be signed, the financial dimension of which was “unattainable” for all other football clubs in the world. If Messi does not extend his contract, which expires in the summer, he could leave the club on a free transfer.
Last summer, Messi tried to leave the club after losing 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern. He was prevented from doing so by club boss Josep Bartomeu, who later resigned. It wasn’t just the fear of losing sporting importance that drove Messi away from his club, it was also atmospheric disturbances.
Ex-President Bartomeu will have to answer legally for a smear campaign against his player, but Messi’s dismal farewell to Luis Suarez was also disappointing. He was Messi’s best buddy in the Barça squad, after the end of a bitter season, which ended badly for the proud club with a 2-8 defeat against Bayern in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Uruguayan was simply sent away.
The next mega-contract?
This annoyed Messi: “The truth is that nothing surprises me at this point,” wrote the 33-year-old Argentine in his farewell message on Instagram. “You deserve to be adopted for who you are: one of the most important players in the club’s history,” wrote Messi: “And not to be adopted as they did.” The tablecloth between Messi and “his” club seemed cut.
However, the superstar had long ago informed the Spanish top club that he was ready to extend his contract, which expired on June 30, “under certain conditions”, reported the Spanish state television broadcaster “RTVE” without giving any sources. According to media reports, Messi has been pushing for a strengthening of the team for years so that FC Barcelona can play for the Champions League title again for the first time since the 2015 triumph. The Catalan newspaper “Sport” reported that the new club boss Laporta wanted to bring back the Brazilian Neymar, who moved to Paris in 2017, in the summer to persuade Messi to stay. Neymar is considered a close friend of the Argentine.
For Laporta, the club boss said after his election in February, Messi’s whereabouts are only a little meat away: “I’ll solve that at a barbecue party,” the 58-year-old had assured just three days before the vote. “We’re all one big family.” Financially, Messi could well afford to compromise: In January, the newspaper “El Mundo” reported on a contract document that showed that Messi would be a player at FC Barcelona from 30 June 2017 to 30 June 2021 for a total of 555,237,619 euros gross get. That would correspond to a gross annual salary of around 138.8 million euros, Messi is said to have received 74.9 million euros net.
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