Messi vs Barca Saga! Trouble in Paradise?
This is arguably the worst time to be a Barcelona fan, as the Spanish giants have simply been moving from one bad day to another.
Barely 11 days after ending a frustrating 2019/2020 season that saw Barcelona go without a trophy for the first time since 2007/2008 campaign with an 8-2 demolishing by Bayern Munich (the eventual champions) in the quarter finals of the Champions League, the news of legendary Barcelona forward Lionel Messi asking to leave the club dropped and it all but shattered the internet and left the world of sports in utter shock.
Reports from sources with the club says the Argentine who has been at Barcelona for over a decade sent the club a burofax, the equivalent of a piece of certified mail that requires the recipients signature, stating that he wants to leave and not play out the last year of his contract.
This request means the player want to exercise a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for free with immediate effect when he wants to. Barcelona, on the other hand, believe that the clause has expired (since June 10) and therefore, Messi is contracted to the club until 2021 with a buy-out clause of 700 million euros.
After about two days of silence on the issue, Lionel Messi, arguably one of the greatest players in the history of football, might be set to say something.
While, the whole world awaits the grand speech from Messi, the media and fans are still in a frenzy with some believing that the only thing capable of changing the mind of talisman would be the resignation of the club’s president, Joseph Maria Bartomeu.
To show solidarity to Messi, some fans took to camp nou to demonstrate, asking Bartomeu to resign with immediate effect so Messi can stay.
Other fans already seem to have made peace with the possibility of Messi leaving the only club he has know his whole life, asking that the record 6 times Ballon d’Or winner be giving a befitting farewell, come what may.
Some ex- footballers have also weighed in on the growing ruckus and Samuel E’too, four times African Player of the Year and a former team mate of the prolific playmaker, thinks Messi leaving Barcelona would mean a change of name for the club with whom the Argentine has so much history with.
With all that is happening at Barcelona ranging from their declining performance to the questionable leadership of the club, is this the time for Messi to go? And if all attempts to pacify him and have stay fails, which club would like to see the thirty three year old play for?
Meanwhile, Messi might not be the only one on his way out of Barcelona, as it’s been reported that the newly appointmented Barca manager, Ronald Koeman, a club legend himself, has told Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez to find a new team as he is not part of his long-term plans in Catalunya.
With the striker being close friends with Messi, a destructive fall-out ensued, with Balbi among those to have weighed in on where both Messi and his former client may end up come next season.
Speculations have been making the rounds and Saurez has now said he will speak for himself when the time is right.
While we wait to hear what Saurez and hopefully, Messi has to say, we can’t help but wonder if this could just be the beginning of more commotion at Barcelona?
