An economic and sentimental “stick”
The letter that marks the end of an era – and that anticipates a few weeks of madness in the world market – ended with a thank you to the player who has won the most titles with Barça (35) and who has scored more goals dressed as a Barça player (672 ), since one day in December 2000 his signing was signed on a paper napkin.
Although it will alleviate the accounts in the short term, Messi’s departure “is a very big stick” economically speaking, Plácido Rodríguez Guerrero, director of the Sports Economic Observatory Foundation and professor of Economics at the University of Oviedo (northwest), told AFP. .
“The economic repercussion will come from many places, that he is not in LaLiga, that he is not in Barcelona, because of the shirts he sells, because of the goals he scores and allows him to go far in ‘Champions’ and enter more, because of the many ‘sponsors’ who use Messi’s image, “he added.
The game broke the hearts of Barcelona fans.
“It saddens me enormously, he is the best in this team and in my opinion in this world (…) I am sunk,” lamented Edison Zaragocín, a 24-year-old Barça fan at the gates of the Camp Nou.
Like him, many had wanted to believe that the crisis that opened last year, when Messi announced his desire to leave the club, had been settled after his retreat to avoid legal litigation.
His commitment was reflected in his eighth Pichichi trophy for the best scorer in LaLiga, although the wound never completely closed and the rumors of a possible reunion with Guardiola at Manchester City and about the interest of the powerful Paris Saint-Germain were never they completely silenced.
Laporta’s return to the presidency in March, after elections in which Messi voted for the first time, and the departure of Josep María Bartomeu, triggered optimism.
His permanence seemed even more secure with the signing of his friend Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero, who seemed to fill the gap left by Luis Suárez, and after finally achieving the goal that obsessed him a few weeks ago: lift a Copa América with Argentina .