Barcelona’s best player has apparently had enough.
Lionel Messi has apparently had enough and is planning on leaving Barcelona at the end of his contract in 2021.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the Argentine is fed up with the leaks coming out claiming that he wields a certain influence in the club and is responsible for things such as manager appointments and firings as well as which players to buy and sell.
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Above all, he is frustrated with the club not having a serious sporting project.
He has put a stop to his contract negotiations. Those negotiations were apparently going well but the latest talks have left him wondering whether an exit would be the right move.
The way this season looks to be turning out seems to be the final nail in the coffin.
There is a lack of a proper sporting project and the last few seasons have shown that. Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell have managed to waste Barcelona’s best generation in history along with arguably the best player ever.
Instead of continuing to improve the club and have a plan for when the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Guardiola, etc move on, they decided to stand pat and the team is paying for it.
Messi has spent nearly a decade bailing this team out game after game and have taken his presence for granted. The Argentine has said time and time again that his dream was to retire at Barcelona.
However, the caveat was that he would be at the club as long as they wanted him. The last thing he wanted was to overstay his welcome and become a problem.
In his eyes, he probably thinks Barcelona do see him as a problem or else there wouldn’t be leaks painting him as a dictator who everyone, manager and player included, has to bow down to.
As soon as Messi started giving more interviews, one of the things he’s also mentioned is that for him to stay, he would need to see that Barcelona have a clear plan that would allow them to challenge for every title.
Since Neymar left, that hasn’t been the case. The Catalans have spent million signing a large number of players with very few actually establishing themselves and becoming an important part of the team.
His departure could have an impact on the elections.
If Messi does decide to leave in 2021, it could potentially have an adverse affect on the current board’s succession plan.
It’s obvious they still want to have some influence on the club but it is going to be difficult for their candidate to win because they are going to be known as the board who drove Messi away from Barcelona.
Candidates know the type of influence Messi can have which is why some are planning to meet with him as soon as possible.
The candidates for the 2021 Barça presidential election will speak to Messi tomorrow. [ser]
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 2, 2020
Messi recently turned 33 so we all knew his time with Barcelona was nearing its end. But everyone hoped it would be on better terms. Should he leave it will be the end of an era. The end of Barcelona’s most successful era in history thanks in large part to Messi.
Unless something happens to make his change his mind, Barcelona and their supporters have one more season left with the best player in the world. It’s as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.”