[ad_1]
Just when you thought the contract saga between Lionel Messi and Barcelona has finally settled, here’s another twist as he leaves the Spanish giants.
One of the greatest players in history, if not the greatest of all time, was forced to leave the only club he has ever known due to financial problems.
Messi was in tears as he confirmed the news that Barcelona could not register him as a player due to the rules of the La Liga contract.
[ MORE: Transfer news: Grealish to Man City deal close; Lukaku back to Chelsea ]
The legendary striker called a press conference at the Camp Nou home in Barcelona on Sunday and said the following about his unexpected departure.
“The last few days I’ve been thinking about what to say. The truth is, I can’t think of anything. It’s really hard for me after so many years, being here all my life. I’m not ready for that, ”Messi said, holding back tears.
“This year my family and I were convinced that we were going to stay here at home, that’s what we all wanted. We thought we would stay here in Barcelona. The time we have spent here has been amazing. Today I have to say goodbye to all of this.
Shocked, stunned, sad
Messi was then asked how he felt when he learned of the new shock from Barcelona as they all believed he would be able to sign a new contract and continue his incredible career with the Spanish giants.
“It was as if my blood was freezing. It was very sad, very difficult. So far we are still trying to deal with everything, ”Messi said. “When I get home, I’ll always feel terrible about it all. I’m still going to feel bad about all of this. The important thing is that we are all fine, my family and loved ones and I can continue to play football, which I love to do more than anything in the world.
“I did all I could to stay and it was not possible. There is nothing more to say than that, ”added Messi, claiming that the reports that he asked for a 30% pay rise is a lie and that he accepted a 50% pay cut. .
It’s Leo’s word #Messi: pic.twitter.com/k0btQ7k1py
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 8, 2021
Barcelona held a press conference on Friday in which club president Joan Laporta explained the financial issues preventing them from signing Messi to a new deal.
Since then his Barcelona team-mates have sent messages on social media thanking him for his time at the club as it looks like this is really the end for the Argentine superstar as he will be leaving the only club he has ever known. .
When asked if he will travel to Paris Saint-Germain, Messi confirmed it was a possibility.
“It’s honestly a possibility. I haven’t confirmed anything with anyone, ”Messi said. “When the press release went out, I got a lot of calls, a lot of interested clubs. At the moment, I haven’t closed anything, but we are talking about a lot of things.
UPDATE: Messi has reportedly agreed to join PSG, where he will play for fellow Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino and alongside longtime friends Neymar and Angel di Maria, among others, after signing a two-year contract (apparently with an option for a third) with the Ligue 1 giants. An announcement is expected at an event in Paris on Tuesday.
Barcelona president Laporta held the press conference after the club released a statement saying he could not sign Messi to a new contract due to La Liga rules on the amount of salary.
“We have exceeded our authorized salary limit. It’s that simple, ”confirmed Laporta.
The president said Messi was told two days ago that the club could not pursue his new contract, that they were planning to last two years and that they had asked to spread the cost of that contract over five years. .
The Barcelona president said “I love to dream, but we have to live in reality” when asked if Messi could play for Barcelona again if financial fair play rules are relaxed by La Liga.
Laporta insisted that Messi and the club have come to an agreement on a new contract, but Spanish league rules do not allow him to sign due to the financial situation that the new club president inherited from the former president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the mess in which they were left.
“We have 122 years of history. We went through it all and we always got through it. We want the post-Messi era to be very successful and I have no doubts that it will be, ”said Laporta.
Laporta added that La Liga could be more flexible in making Messi’s new deal come true, as he has repeatedly criticized their planned deal to sell 10% of the league to CVC Capital Partners in the United States.
“In Spanish La Liga, we have to respect the rules. We think they can be more flexible. This is no excuse, we knew the rules. We cannot comply with it. Lion deserves everything. He loves Barça. I am sad but I am convinced that we have done the best for FC Barcelona, ”insisted Laporta.
“I cannot make a decision that will impact the club for the next 50 years,” Laporta added of the La Liga television rights deal. “The club is over 100 years old and it is above everyone and everything. Even above the best player in the world. We will always thank him for everything he has done for us.
Barcelona declaration on the situation
Barcelona confirmed 24 hours earlier in a statement that talks have broken down and Messi will leave:
Despite having reached an agreement between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi and with the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, it cannot be formalized due to economic and structural obstacles (regulations of the Spanish Liga).
Faced with this situation, Lionel Messi will not remain linked to FC Barcelona. Both sides deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the Club ultimately could not be granted.
Barça would like to wholeheartedly thank the player for his contribution to the growth of the institution and wish him the best in his personal and professional life.
So why this sudden change of mind? A possibility…
[ MORE: PL outlines stricter penalty guidelines, looser laws on offside reviews ]
A report from the Spanish newspaper Mark had previously claimed that Messi “had never been so far from renewing his contract with Barcelona”, with the problems separating the parties being said to be “irreversible”.
Messi returned to Barcelona earlier this week, when it became clear to Messi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta that a solution could not be found to sign the 34-year-old for the coming season. It’s an unexpected turnaround after the parties apparently struck a new five-year deal (with a significant pay cut) last month.
Barcelona and La Liga still at odds over Super League
La Liga president Javier Tebas has reportedly given Laporta a choice in recent days: to keep Messi (perhaps with a bit of leeway to save the player despite the club’s increasingly strained finances) by forgoing the Super European League (yes, they are still engaged in the project, with Real Madrid and Juventus), or continue with the Super League and lose Messi.
Barcelona’s involvement in the Super League plot also stands in the way of a 10% La Liga investment sale. The deal aims to keep the league and its clubs afloat financially. Real Madrid have released their own statement, criticizing La Liga’s handling of the case, moments after Barcelona announced Messi’s departure.
The timing seems to indicate that all of these pieces are part of the same story.
[ MORE: Aston Villa, Southampton agree Danny Ings transfer fee ]
Messi leaving Barcelona changes everything, for everyone
There is hardly a transfer offer or contract currently in the works that will not be affected by the ripple effects if Messi actually leaves Barcelona.
For starters, everything Manchester City have done and plan to do is put on hold. The deal to sign Jack Grealish was already done by the time Messi news broke, but Harry Kane, who has yet to report to Tottenham Hotspur for the preseason in hopes of forcing a move to Manchester City? Sorry, please wait.
This means that any business Tottenham hoped to do, with the potential funds from this sale, is currently closed. Regardless of which clubs Tottenham may have discussed about signing one of their players, this is another club whose plans are currently on hold.
With the financial situation of world football in a perilous place these days, less than a handful of clubs have all the power to unlock and trigger a furious final month of the transfer window, so everyone is waiting.
The only problem is that they (Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, in this case) now unexpectedly find themselves waiting for a man even taller and more powerful than them.
[ad_2]
Source link