Thursday 1 July 2021
The star has no contract
What will happen to Lionel Messi?
Lionel Messi’s contract with FC Barcelona has expired. As of today it is without a valid worksheet. The future of the 34-year-old is still open. Will he stay in Catalonia, will he move to England or will he be drawn to the United States in the last few years of his career?
The future of soccer star Lionel Messi is still open. Whether he will play for FC Barcelona next season or actually leave his club since his youth – is unclear. Until the expiration of his contract at midnight on Wednesday, FC Barcelona, with whom Messi has played in the professional team since 2004, had not issued an official statement regarding the extension of the contract with the 34-year-old or his farewell. The attacking player did not comment either.
This means that Messi will be without a contract for the first time after 17 seasons at Barcelona, provided that the cooperation that has not yet been announced does not continue and can be changed free of charge. The Argentine national record player, who just led Albiceleste to the Copa America quarter-finals in Brazil, has played for Blaugrana since he was 13 years old. The world footballer won six times 35 titles with Barcelona.
Barcelona is only “moderately optimistic”
It is unclear whether an agreement on a new contract will not be reached in the coming days. It is reported that negotiations between Messi and Barcelona are well developed, only details are missing, as the newspaper “Sport” wrote recently. The newspaper “Marca” reported that the two sides are continuing negotiations. However, there hasn’t been much progress to report days ago. According to French and Spanish media reports, Paris in particular is interested in signing exceptional talent. England champions Manchester City, who are coached by former Messi coach Pep Guardiola, are also said to be interested.
New club president Joan Laporta is determined to keep Messi. Laporta said at the end of May that he was “moderately optimistic” that Messi would be looking for targets for the Catalans next season. She added that the new contract is making progress, but is not yet out. According to the media, there should be a long-term contract in the room. According to the Marca website, Messi will extend another two years at Camp Nou for a total of 50 million euros. Then he will serve as the club’s ambassador for another ten years. In addition, he can end his career abroad if he wants to.
The greatest Barcelona player of all time
Laporta confirmed in May that the financially struggling club wanted to make a good offer for Messi “as much as possible”. But in the first place, Messi wanted the team to strengthen itself well. Only Messi and Barcelona have won the Spanish Cup this year. In the first division, the Catalans finished only third, and in the Champions League they failed in the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi had already tried to leave the club last summer. Club president Josep Bartomeu prevented him from doing so, who later resigned and with whom he disagreed. Messi said at the time that Bartomeu only wanted to allow it if the €700m transfer clause stipulated in the contract was triggered. “It’s impossible,” Messi said last September.
Despite having to stand against his will, Messi has shone again this season, becoming La Liga’s top scorer for the eighth time with 30 goals. He holds all the club records: Messi is the Barcelona player with the most goals (672), most matches (778), most titles and most victories in the club’s 121-year history.
The Spanish League is becoming less important
La Liga, Spain’s top division, has lost its sporting core in recent years. The English Premier League replaced them as the leading European League. After Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Juventus in Italy in 2018, the league is now in danger of losing two more stars. Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos is facing a free move to Paris Saint-Germain, and the loss of Messi would be more serious. “If CR7 goes, no problem, if Messi goes, we’ll take notice,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas in 2018.
Messi won a total of 35 titles in 17 seasons with Barcelona, including the Champions League four times, the Championship ten times, seven Cups and eight Spanish Super Cups. Messi came to Barcelona at the age of 13 when he emigrated with his family from Argentina to Spain in search of his fortune in the club’s youth academy. He made his Barcelona debut on October 16, 2004.