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Why the 2019/20 season is the most important in Barcelona’s history

By Chiranjib Ghosh

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona looks on after the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 7, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona looks on after the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 7, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona’s ultimate transition will be in the 2019/20 season

It is clear that 2021 is going to the year which decides the future of Barcelona. The first two decades of the 21st century have been owned by Lionel Messi, but the Argentine maestro is certainly not ageless and it is gradually showing.

Messi is still the best player in the world, and his records this season show that he still has it in him. But the fact that he faltered in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool means that he can no longer be relied upon in big games.

Most importantly, the Argentina international’s contract runs out in 2021, and he would be 34 by that time. Messi wants to retire at boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys and would probably move there in 2021. The club presidential elections are also scheduled for 2021.

So, this means that the 2019/20 season will have to be that of total transition. The Messi era is coming to a close, and the captain is going to take some of the Barça greats along with him. The contracts of Luis Suárez and Ivan Rakitić also end in 2021, along with Arturo Vidal.

Moreover, most of the members of the first-team have now crossed the threshold of 30, including Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. So, it is clear that a new generation of players have to take over after the 2019/20 season, making it extremely crucial.

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Lionel Messi is certainly the greatest player that has ever donned a Barça jersey, and his departure will leave an enormous void. The transition away from Messi will be hardest in club history, harder than Barça’s foray into the new millenium.

The 2019/20 season will also be the swansong of some club greats, most notably La Masia graduates Piqué and Busquets. They will not be expected to be regular fixtures in the first-team after the end of next season, with new players taking over.

The period following Pep Guardiola’s appointment has seen Barça enjoy its most successful time in history, winning 19 major competitions till date. That is going to put immense pressure on the club to replicate such results after Messi’s departure.

Ernesto Valverde is not expected to continue as head coach beyond the end of the season, but Barça need to appoint a manager who can guide the club through this rough period of transition in a smooth manner.

The 2021 elections will see current president Josep Maria Bartomeu stepping aside, and will be hotly contested between former president Joan Laporta and fresh face Victor Font. The result of those elections will also determine Barcelona’s fate in the next decade.

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But even the outcome of the elections will be affected by the 2019/20 season, and how the club fares in in it. Maybe Gerard Piqué could emerge as Barça president in 2021.