Best of both worlds, he doesnt go to City for another year at least and him and Barca can continue their messy divorce in public for our amusement.
I sure wouldnt like to be Koeman.
I sure wouldnt like to be Koeman.
Lionel Messi
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I’d wager you’d still need to go through the formalities. Like any employee leaving your organisation, you’d need a resignation letter, even if there’s a gentleman’s agreement.
And if City refused to pay a fee for someone who was a free agent?
This doesnt make an ounce of sense
What to expect from an user with that kind of name.
it absolutely does. Messi leaving on a free was never a possibility. He just needed to legally file for contract termination and have Barca negotiate with city. City GLADLY would have paid 100-150M for him. They just couldn’t do 700M or have a lawsuit with Barca. Tons of tier 1 city sources reporting a reasonable would have been on the table to buy Messi. Barca get a decent payout from the transfer and Messi gets to go to a competent team.
Cant believe he did this with goal.com. That was a joke of a website a few years ago, they had an interview with me on it about 5 years ago ffs!
it was a last resort. He was constantly brushed aside all season when he told Barto he wanted out. The fax makes it a legal step towards terminating the contract. It was the only way when every other step had been exhausted.
hahaha I was thinking the same thing. So random
How can Barca get a fee if the contract is terminated? It literally means Barca doesn't hold his registration anymore. Why terminate at all if Barca are getting a fee?
Its nonsense
Typical Messi isn't it, after making so much noises he did a U-turn, yet again.
You were the pioneer for them to gain the big scoops!
They are popular with fans around the world and are openly biased towards Messi. They also make amusing illustrations.
He is being forced to stay? People making it out as it's his decision
It is cringe, but crap can also stand.
I'm not saying this move is money driven, but like aaron rodgers in NFL (this being a less talked about but comparable example) his drive to increase his wages to a rumoured 100m a season has hurt the clubs ability to rebuild (among other factors, which are talked about very often). In general he seems to threaten to leave every other season and his yearly pay goes up and up beyond what anyone has ever got paid before in football.
I tried to get across in original post, but whatever people think of this level of greed in an absolute sense, relative to most other footballers it seems he is pushing barce to their limits. Its barces decision to have played ball all these years of course, they really want Messi to retire there and will drive the club into the ground financially to achieve that
crap stinks more when it stands up?
Florentino Perez should make an offer for him or just state he's always welcome to join Real Madrid just to wind them up.
Indeed.
Coward, absolutely no. The comfort zone is a very valid point though. Let's be honest, it hasn't been a healthy situation for a while. Both he and the club should agree to cash in or just walk away from each other. They owe each other nothing at this point.
Always the most likely outcome. Unnecessary, cringe worthy drama. Quite the stinking mess.
Their fans are going to vote, right? You can bet on them choosing whoever Messi wants.
Trying to terminate the contract shows how serious Messi is about leaving. Hence why he had to fax it in. Now that Barca now he's put his foot down they should have negotiated in good faith. He knew he wouldn't be let go for free. Barca rebuffed him all season when he said he'd like to leave.
comfort zone goes out the window when he tried so hard to leave. it's a rubbish excuse especially when you factor how poor the squad is in recent years.
Barca are in a whole lot of carp when he eventually decides to call it a day.
More papering over the cracks.
More papering over the cracks.
So what does Messi want from the board/President? more investment? change of manager? What is it that he's not satisfied with? Does he blame the President that the Club doesn't challenge the CL, even though they've been investing left and right?
Thing I'm most confused about is how on earth did Goal.com get this interview? Is it considered more reputable outside of England?
No more realease clause don't mean free agent
At least it saves him the embarrassment of not being able to dislodge Riyad Mahrez.
First of all he shouldn't be satisfied with himself and his performances in the latter stages of the UCL, he's a player and their captain so I'd expect him to be critical about how the team performs and his role as leader. If we're talking about the board and direction of the club some of their transfers have been questionable in terms of balancing the squad and I think some players wanted the club to get Neymar back and personally I think they need to start replacing players like Busquets and Pique. Recently it was also reported he didn't like the club getting rid of Suárez, or something among those lines, he might wish for a different board and different players but it's not healthy a player having so much influence so what he says about leaving being the best for the club and Barcelona makes sense and I agree with him.
Perhaps it is friendship or sympathy with Rubén Uría, who interviewed him. He writes in goal but also works in other places (tve or goltv)
Honestly, doesn't this happen with Messi every summer? Usually to be followed by a new contract (and more money) for him?
He wants a competent board who have a clear strategy and know how to invest. From his interview:
“I always said I wanted to end here and I always said I wanted to stay here. That I wanted a winning project and to win titles with the club, to continue expanding the legend of Barcelona.
"The truth is that there has been no project or anything for a long time, they juggle and cover holes as things go by."
Barca have spent close to 1B euros in the last 5 years since they won the champions league in 2015.
Andre Gomes, Alcacer, Neto, Alexis Vidal, Digne, Delafou, Mina cost a 180 mill alone. Spent 110 mill on Dembele who although is extremely talented, he hasn't the mentality to become a top player. Only 130 mill of the 1B they spent in the last 5 years started against Bayern.
There's also the Barcagate debacle where the board hired I3 Ventures to boost their image and negatively portray club legends and current players who were slating the board. That deal is also currently being investigated for possible corruption.
Matching Ronaldo with his "irreversible" decision to leave Madrid a couple of years before he actually did 
Why don't they just sell him for 80 - 100 million and call it a day. Maybe just ask for Walker and Aguero. Seems a bit stupid to have a footballer who doesn't want to be there especially when he does zero work off the ball already.
When you are a legend at a club, you do the right thing by not declaring your intention to leave midseason. He has to keep it under wraps.
He was being a leader, not naive.
Well I, for one, am shocked
I really hope Barca have a terrible start to the season. I am going to enjoy every minute of this soap opera!
Tbh I think Barca should be milking a rich club for as much as they can for him. It seems like he is a much part of the problems at that club as the people running it.
Get a massive fee for a problem player and use that money to aid a rebuild and a fresh start.
Tbh I think Barca should be milking a rich club for as much as they can for him. It seems like he is a much part of the problems at that club as the people running it.
Get a massive fee for a problem player and use that money to aid a rebuild and a fresh start.
Personally don’t believe City will pay that money, not with the massive wages and signing on bonus.
City have spent a massive amount of money over the years, but they’ve never spent anywhere near that amount of money on one player.
I don’t think this is over for this window.
The option of selling Messi for a fee now rather than nothing next year has to be weighing on the Board’s mind. The comments today also mean it’s pretty impossible for the Board to save face, so the political motive for keeping him doesn’t seem that strong to me.
It sounds weird to say, but the footballing reasons to keep also don’t feel that strong. Even with him in the team, they’re maybe favourites for the league but no where in Europe. Without him, it still feels like they have a shot at league.
At this stage I think it’s fair to say Messi genuinely just wants out - he may not like management, but turnover there won’t make them the competitive force in the UCL Messi wants.Him staying just feels like the worst option for all parties. For what it’s worth, if he goes to City it’s not like he’ll miraculously improve their defence!
The option of selling Messi for a fee now rather than nothing next year has to be weighing on the Board’s mind. The comments today also mean it’s pretty impossible for the Board to save face, so the political motive for keeping him doesn’t seem that strong to me.
It sounds weird to say, but the footballing reasons to keep also don’t feel that strong. Even with him in the team, they’re maybe favourites for the league but no where in Europe. Without him, it still feels like they have a shot at league.
At this stage I think it’s fair to say Messi genuinely just wants out - he may not like management, but turnover there won’t make them the competitive force in the UCL Messi wants.Him staying just feels like the worst option for all parties. For what it’s worth, if he goes to City it’s not like he’ll miraculously improve their defence!
As in every Club, it's the manager that mostly do the signings. Is it different in Barca, that the President identified these signings? or does Messi want the CLub to consult with him, which players to sign beforehand?
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