BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Lionel Messi and Barcelona have forged an ordinary winning combination for more than a decade until cracks develop in the foundations of the football dynasty, which led the wonderful Argentine to doubt his long career at the club.
Now that Messi remains for another year, after an unseemly dispute with the club’s management, a transparent result turns out to be a complicated season forward at Camp Nou.
The marriage between player and club seemed perfect. Messi has brought an exclusive ability to face beyond defenders, as well as brilliant passes and goals scored after an impressive goal. Barcelona provided the minds of coaches, world-class teammates and a perfectly adapted taste of play to help Messi possibly the most productive player the game has ever seen.
But the team’s dominant form has plummeted throughout the seasons and Barcelona’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich last month in the Champions League quarter-finals extinguished Messi’s hesitant hopes that it could make a difference at the club in his formative years.defeat of Messi’s career.
After several days of silence, Messi made public what he called the “painful decision” to tell Barcelona that the time had come to leave the club, his home from the age of 13.Saying, after six Golden Balls, a club with.634 goals and 34 titles, Messi considered his most productive possibility of good fortune elsewhere.
Barcelona has demanded that he complete the contract that runs until June 2021, claimed that Messi’s exit clause had expired on June 10 and stated that he had to pay a buyback clause of 700 million euros (about 830 million euros). dollars) if you were looking to leave now. It’s also a top pay even for Messi, now 33 and struggling in the twilight of his golden career.
Messi argued that his contract allowed him to retire after the extended season, but he relented on Friday when he said he would stay because he “may never believe he’ll sue Barca because he’s the club I love.”
Now, many enthusiasts hope that Barcelona’s new coach, Ronald Koeman, can convince Messi from beyond this season.
In an interview with Goal.com Friday, his public commentary since bayern’s defeat, Messi gave no clear indications of his future.
Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu said he was looking for Messi to sign a new contract, but the club must hold elections in March to update Bartomeu and it is not known whether Bartomeu’s season is helping or impairing the club’s chances of retaining Messi..
Messi has publicly stated that he feels betrayed through Bartomeu, who according to Messi had promised him that he could go free this summer.
Talk
Speculation in the Spanish media sees Messi nevertheless head to Manchester City to meet Pep Guardiola, the coach who allowed him to thrive.
With Guardiola training Barcelona in 2008, Messi’s real perspective has broken out: Guardiola put Messi at the center of the team’s attack, where he was able to improvise with midfielders Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.A desirable match, big wins and trophies in a row.
Then the Luis Enrique era arrived, when in 2015 Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez led Barcelona to repeat a sweep of the Champions League, the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey that Guardiola did for the first time.
Messi’s messes to succeed at the same heights with Argentina only the conviction that he had no better club to call home than Barcelona.
But the march of Neymar, Messi and alleged heir, to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 has led to the team’s decline.
The squad features seniors and the club’s expensive signings with Ousmane Dembélé, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann to upgrade to Neymar, Xavi and Iniesta have come true.
“I said I was looking to finish my career here,” Messi said Friday.”But I also said I was looking for a winning assignment.And the fact is, there hasn’t been an assignment or anything like that in a long time.”(the club) take a look at fixing the holes over time.
IT’S NOT READY
Messi has led the Spanish league to score the last two seasons, however, the 16th Champions League circular has revealed the year after year of the team.
Barcelona’s players seemed to lack the mandatory physical condition and intellectual strength in the top matches and nothing easy at the end of the season: first a 3-0 loss to Juventus in 2017, then a 3-0 loss to Roma in 2018, then a 4-0 loss to Liverpool last season.
After Barcelona dropped their Spanish crown against Real Madrid in July, Messi warned that the team was not in a position to compete for Europe, but no one, not really even Messi, could have foreseen the debacle against Bayern.
Koeman with Messi that the team wants new blood, but the Dutch technician still wants Messi to lead the team.
The question is whether Koeman can relive Messi’s joy at the game in the blue and burgundy colors, and quickly.
“There’s a new coach and new ideas, and that’s good,” Messi said.”But we want to see how the team reacts and whether it will give us enough to compete at the highest level.
“What I can say is that I stay and that I will stay for Barcelona.”
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