Lionel Messi

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roonster09

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Improve his already exorbitant contract at 32? They have a wage problem as it is with him on the books.
Yeah but that's because they have other under performing players. Either he will get better contract or at least as good as the existing one.

At 32 he is the best player in the world, with his skillset he will easily play for many more years.
 

Isotope

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That fascination seems to be popular on here too. Many want to give the job to unqualified ex-players like Evra, Fletcher etc. because 'they know the club'.
It's just Barca has so many legends, Abidal is a bid of underwhelming choice. But maybe he's so good on what he's doing.
 

2mufc0

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Improve his already exorbitant contract at 32? They have a wage problem as it is with him on the books.
We are talking about Messi here, not your average player.
 

Lash

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Yeah but that's because they have other under performing players. Either he will get better contract or at least as good as the existing one.

At 32 he is the best player in the world, with his skillset he will easily play for many more years.
I don't disagree he's the best, but we berate our club for not planning, but he will absolutely kill their wage budget if they continue to pay him what he gets now.
 

Lash

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We are talking about Messi here, not your average player.
Again, I agree totally, but the amount he gets paid makes it extremely difficult revamp their squad. You continue that for another 3-4 years, they'll be in trouble when it comes to FFP
 

Renegade

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I didn’t say he lacked courage if he didn’t leave, there are plenty of reasons for why he’d choose to stay. Just said that it would be a very courageous move to leave, especially to England at 32.
Oh apologies from me, I’ve re read what you posted and interpreted it wrong. You’re right it wouldn’t be wise decision.
My response was to the usual comment where people suggest he plays it safe by staying with Barca his whole career.
 

mitchmouse

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in other news... I will be replacing DDG in all our Premier League fixtures until the end of the season
 

RoyH1

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Abidal will be gone and replaced at the end of this season at the latest. Messi is the most powerful man at that club.
 

Redcy

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Utter tripe, city fans getting giddy about this better get used to being used by the press and players.

we have had it forever, Messi is not leaving for any money.
 

Robertd0803

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You need to think this through. Messi going to City would do unspeakable things for them and go a long way to melting the plastic off their club. Having the greatest ever player playing for them at something like his peak is an honour they don’t deserve. By the time he’s done with them, they could be spoken about similarly to us.
Ronaldo will never play for them. :)

I reckon Abidals days at Barca are numbered. I can also imagine some stupid scenario where he becomes our Director of Football.
 

B20

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It's just Barca has so many legends, Abidal is a bid of underwhelming choice. But maybe he's so good on what he's doing.
I'd hope for barcas sake they are hiring people on merit for the job rather than how good they used to be as footballers.
 

Ish

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Probably all round frustration over Barca’s signings in recent years, culminating in, if reports are true, the Barca players wanting the Board to re-sign Neymar and they got Griezmann (terrible immediate fit as they’re crying out for a left winger). Maybe the Board didn’t want to re-sign Neymar after the way he left - and used the money excuse? Not sure what’s happening there anymore.
 

Isotope

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I'd hope for barcas sake they are hiring people on merit for the job rather than how good they used to be as footballers.
I hope that club are crashed and burned, and become the current United.
 

DarkXaero

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If Woodward could somehow pull this off, he'd be a legend, even if Messi somehow turned out to be Sanchez esque flop.
 

carvajal

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Apparently (according to Cope) he is bothered by the fame of being a dictator who runs the club, since he does not buy or sell players, nor decide the coach (I personally think he does sometimes, indirectly), therefore they can´t sack Abidal now, since It would corroborate that version, so probably will happen what Roy said
Abidal will be gone and replaced at the end of this season at the latest. Messi is the most powerful man at that club.
I don´t see him leaving in summer, with life made in Barcelona, young children and that incredible salary.
Barça is his home and next year with the next coach and a good cleaning things will look different.
The matter is to what extent he will press or leave certain doubts to get Bartomeu's resignation before the elections.
 

patty123

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what better platform to cap off his career than knocking liverpool off their perch at United.
Damn that was some blackout I must have suffered as tell me, when did liverpool got back on their perch ? Damn blackouts, as that means liverpool have just won 3 league titles, as they now have 21 league titles as oppose our 20, didnt know that.
 

padr81

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Personally I can't wait to see us fielding Sterling, Aguero and Messi up top in League 2 next season...

No I'm not serious.
 

Bubz27

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Saying he's pulled out of contract talks again and may leave next summer when his contracts up.

I'm sure Barca will sort their shite out but I've always imagined Messi at Inter.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Sounds like a crazy concept but I think it wouldn't be the worst for Barcelona to sell Messi. He's still carrying them but his role in the team is so overwhelming that I think players are willing to piggyback on his play and don't take the initiative themselves. Without Messi, Griezmann could play where he wants to, they would have enough to get Neymar in probably and it would last more than a few years.

Messi is unreal offensively but can no longer track back. With the way full-backs bomb forward now, there's no cover if he plays on the wing and you have to fit the team around him. He's 33 years old now so that part of his game is only going to get worse. He gets paid an absolute fortune a week. As of now, he's still worth it as the greatest player in Barcelona's history by far. But when he's 35 or 36, will he be worth more than a million quid a week?
 

fps

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Off to Juve for a year with Cristiano?
 

TheNewEra

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I think he should leave Barca honestly, they are in a real state.
 

fps

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Sounds like a crazy concept but I think it wouldn't be the worst for Barcelona to sell Messi. He's still carrying them but his role in the team is so overwhelming that I think players are willing to piggyback on his play and don't take the initiative themselves. Without Messi, Griezmann could play where he wants to, they would have enough to get Neymar in probably and it would last more than a few years.

Messi is unreal offensively but can no longer track back. With the way full-backs bomb forward now, there's no cover if he plays on the wing and you have to fit the team around him. He's 33 years old now so that part of his game is only going to get worse. He gets paid an absolute fortune a week. As of now, he's still worth it as the greatest player in Barcelona's history by far. But when he's 35 or 36, will he be worth more than a million quid a week?
Barcelona need to re-sign Neymar and go hell for leather for the CL next year with Messi there. Their recruitment has been disastrous the past few years, culminating in Griezmann. I totally agree that he doesn't track back, and can't be what he was, but he has 2 more years of being a decider at the very highest level.

Barcelona haven't really changed their system recently to accommodate him better, and he is finding the great players around him either stripped away or getting older and slower. Yet his numbers remain astounding. I also wonder how much he's worth to them in shirt sales and publicity too, compared with other players. That must influence contract negotiations.

At a tangent, I actually think Pjanic will be a good signing for them if they're trying to win one more CL - he's a very very good player. But they need Neymar back, that whole thing when he went to PSG was terrible for Neymar and for Barca. And difficult decisions around Busquets and Suarez also need to be made.
 

Adam-Utd

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Messi is pulling a Rooney.
 
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