Not even the official statement issued by Futbol Club Barcelona on Argentinian star Leo Messi, announcing the departure of the Barça player, citing economic and structural obstacles due to the regulations of the Spanish league, has expressed conclusively at the time of writing that the footballer's exit from the club can be considered irreversible and definitive. What has happened so that, when everything was planned for the signing of the player this Thursday at the club's facilities, after the laborious negotiation of an agreement for the next five years, everything has gone awry in a matter of hours so that at the moment the Argentinian is already situated in Paris Saint Germain?
There is no official version, so we will have to wait until this Friday at 11am when club president Joan Laporta has announced a public appearance. For now, it's all rumours: whether the blackmail of the British fund CVC, which was to inject 270 million euros into Barça through the league was in exchange for Barça resigning from the European Superleague and Laporta did not want that; whether JavierTebas, head of the Spanish League, has played dirty with Laporta at the last minute; whether in fact the numbers did not work out, because the salary bill remained very high and the willingness of some players to renounce a part of their salary, very low; whether the sporting proposal that had been proposed to the player a few weeks before the start of the league was insufficient; whether he did not want Koeman to continue and preferred Xavi Hernández on the bench; and so on, through several more conjectures to understand why, if player and club were in agreement, signing has not been possible.
In any case, the official announcement of the departure has been a preview of what, if it ends up happening, will occur: the club will plunge into a depression unknown to those of us who have been lucky enough to enjoy a unique footballer on the field, definitely the best we've ever been able to see live in a stadium. Because for a generation the chance to see the best player in the world at the Camp Nou every fortnight since his debut at the age of 16, on November 16th, 2003, has been a unique experience. Unrepeatable.
Messi has been the player of all possible records: 35 titles with Barça, including four Champions League and ten Spanish leagues; top scorer in the Spanish league, with a total of 474 goals; record goals in one season (50) and 120 goals in the Champions League. He has won five FIFA Golden Balls and four Golden Boots. This year, finally, he has won his first major tournament with Argentina by beating Brazil in the Copa America.
However the Messi sopa opera ends - and the time will indeed come to settle accounts with the club's leaders who have allowed this calamitous situation to be reached and for the club to be left like an empty building site, economically speaking, fans of Barça and of football can only thank the Argentinian and wish him all the luck in the world. No one has done as much as he has for the club, and to have his name link with the Catalan capital and the country has been very fortunate. The best ambassador of a set of values, sporting values, and someone who has projected the image of the club like never before.
For years, Messi and Barça have been one and the same. And if that magic spell is broken, it’s hard to see a future with optimism.