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A day earlier than former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was arrested by native police as a part of an investigation into the “Barcagate” scandal, the membership posted a video on Instagram exhibiting Lionel Messi signing an autograph for a policeman.
“@leomessi making time for the police,” was how the membership captioned it. The flip of occasions was the supply of a lot hilarity for followers on social media. The membership although wouldn’t discover the state of affairs humorous as a result of it has been alleged that Barcelona, beneath Bartomeu, had employed a third-party final 12 months to run a smear marketing campaign on social media towards present and former gamers, in addition to presidential rivals.
Barcelona have denied involvement within the scandal however following Monday’s occasions, the highlight is again on the membership.
It was Messi’s public fallout with Bartomeu final 12 months that ultimately led to the latter’s resignation as president. In an interview with La Sexta final December, Messi had stated that he would resolve his future in the summertime, when his contract ends. Loads although would hinge on how Sunday’s election, the place Bartomeu shouldn’t be contesting, seems. Throughout an interplay final week with Indian media final week, Sevilla sporting director Monchi stated he felt Messi would keep.
If Messi does depart, it will finish an period. One the place a 13-year-old boy with progress hormone deficiency arrived from Argentina over 20 years in the past and went on to develop into one of many recreation’s biggest ever, if not the best. One the place he was the brightest star in a core of fantastic gamers who made soccer lovely.
That Messi has been a one-club man – albeit he did spend his pre-teen years at Newell’s Previous Boys in Argentina – will make a possible switch an earth-shattering occasion. The concept of a one-club participant does ring skinny – hole even – in a closely commercialised sport in Europe the place short-term outcomes trump feelings. However there’s a purpose why Paolo Maldini, John Terry, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Francesco Totti, Tony Adams, Steven Gerrard and Chuni Goswami ring a bell within the incurable soccer romantic: they’ve bled the colors of the shirt they wore.
English giants Manchester United haven’t gained a league title following the retirements of Scholes and Giggs, their two most profitable gamers by way of titles, though causes for the drought extent nicely past these gamers. And it wasn’t as if Arsenal or Milan or Liverpool couldn’t address the departures of Adams, Maldini or Gerrard – Liverpool improved beneath Juergen Klopp who arrived in 2015 months after Gerrard left. However like Pele with Santos, these gamers are synonymous with these golf equipment.
Would a switch away from Catalonia damage Messi’s legacy as a loyal servant of Barcelona? It might in Catalonia although even there many have stated they understood why Messi desires out. And wouldn’t Messi be tempted by affords from different golf equipment when Barcelona are transitioning from the aspect that dominated European soccer?
If Messi has to go his choices could also be few as most golf equipment wouldn’t be capable of afford his wages. However he’ll nonetheless be inside attain for a few of Europe’s elites – Manchester Metropolis, PSG amongst others.
That might have Messi following the type of path that rival Cristiano Ronaldo has charted for himself. The Portuguese star has loved success at Manchester United, Actual Madrid and Juventus. Among the many arguments towards Messi being the perfect of his era is that he by no means sought a problem away from Barcelona and that he has fewer Champions League titles than Ronaldo – Barcelona’s underwhelming European campaigns after 2015 haven’t helped.
However such a state of affairs is hard for Barcelona. Shedding the six-time Ballon d’Or winner could have repercussions each on and off the sector. On one hand, they may lose the perfect participant of the era to a European rival. On the opposite, model Barcelona will undoubtedly take successful.
Barcelona have some current expertise of long-serving gamers departing lately. Carles Puyol retired in 2014, Xavi left for Qatar in 2015 and Andres Iniesta moved to Japan in 2018. They have been already on the twilight of their careers once they left however many would argue that they’ve by no means actually been changed. The membership’s diminishing powers lately – just one league title after 2018 – is testomony to that. The departure of Messi, nonetheless very a lot the most effective within the enterprise, could be a distinct story altogether.
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