July 01, (THEWILL) –Â In far away Brazil, prosecuting his country’s challenge continental glory in the ongoing Copa America, Lionel Messi officially became a free agent after his Barcelona contract expired at midnight on Wednesday.
The talismanic player for La Blaugrana spent the previous season mulling over whether to pen a new contract with the club to which he has devoted the entirety of his senior professional career and has achieved record-breaking and record-setting feats of sheer genius.
But, last summer, the 34-year-old turned in a request seeking to be allowed to move away from the Catalan side, a sign that there was internal strife brewing behind the scenes. The unwillingness of the club to let him go and the rift with then club president Josep Maria Bartomeu did not help the relationship between their iconic player and the club management. It even affected their football.
However, a lot has happened since the summer of 2020. The most important development that is most telling for Messi was the resignation of Bartomeu and the successful election of Joan Laporta, a personal friend of Messi’s, who returns to a position he once held in some of the glorious years of Barcelona’s football at the latter part of his first time.
Laporta has initiated changes to handle the financial indiscipline that almost rendered the club insolvent especially with the effects of the pandemic on the finances of many top football clubs with big football stars, high wages and empty stands.
With the changes effected by the new club management and the select choice of transfer business presently underway, Barcelona are reportedly confident that despite the club’s currently desperate financial standing, a deal will be reached to retain the services of one of the world’s highest paid players.
The revelation of Messi’s last deal to be worth a reported £492 million over four seasons, was a big story at the end of January this year. The spiralling gross debt of the Catalan side, which is in the ballpark of around £857 million, means that a new contract for Messi will be drastically below the one that just expired.
Laporta’s handling of the financial outlay has seen the club cut their wage bill in half in the last year and that is also likely to be the case when a new contract is issued to the Argentine superstar upon his decision to stay, if that is how he sees his future relationship with Barca.
Laporta’s personal relationship with Messi, the responsible financial decisions that are being made, the signing of fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero from English Premier League champions Manchester City and the improvement of the team’s structure with players like Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay are some of the reasons for their confidence of retaining Messi further.
Right now, the 34-year-old remains with Argentina in Brazil for the Copa America and is focussed on preparing for their meeting with Ecuador in their quarter-final on Saturday. For all his genius, Messi is still without a major international trophy. He will try again this time before his thoughts return to club concerns.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
