MADRID, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Barcelona announced on Thursday that superstar and six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi would leave the club after 18 years, shaking up the soccer scene.
The Catalan side said financial regulations imposed by La Liga prevent it from retaining its all-time top scorer, which begs the question: what’s next for Messi?
MANCHESTER CITY
When Messi asked to leave Barça in the European summer of 2020, he was expected to link up with his former Barca coach Pep Guardiola, who is in Manchester today.
However, it appears that City have gone another path, hiring creator Jack Grealish and with reports linking Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane to the club, making the path seem closed for the Argentine.
The City owners, however, have a lot of money and could see this as an opportunity that is too good to pass up.
PARIS ST GERMAIN
Perhaps it is Messi’s most likely destiny when leaving Spain. PSG, one of the few clubs in world football that could pay his salary, has been linked to approaches to Messi since he was acquired by Qatari Sports Investments in 2011.
With his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino as manager of the Ligue 1 team, Messi would have as partners his former teammate and close friend Neymar and the electric Kylian Mbappé. The Argentine could well prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle in his quest to finally win the Champions League.
KEEP IN BARCELONA
Some observers believe that this announcement is a great hoax from Barca to La Liga.
Barcelona announce that the best player in the world will leave La Liga due to the limitations imposed by the competition to make financial fair play regulations more flexible and he can stay.
If that’s the case, it’s a bold move, as La Liga boss Javier Thebes has frequently criticized the club’s financial situation and recently reiterated that they need to slash their salary spending to retain Messi.
Whatever the result, it allows the leaders to absolve themselves of responsibility in the eyes of the fans for the situation.
(Report by Joseph Walker. Edited in Spanish by Manuel Farías)