Lionel Messi ‘s 20-year Barcelona career ends

Lionel Messi- Huge debts –

Barcelona are labouring under debts of several hundred million euros and have been under pressure to reduce their wage bill.

The club recently sold left back Junior Firpo to Leeds United and US international Konrad de la Fuente to Marseille.

La Liga in 2013 introduced so-called financial “fair play” regulations setting a maximum amount of money each club can spend on its playing squad and coaching staff each season, conditioned by their income.

At the same time Barcelona has recruited new players which were expected to please Lionel Messi, such as Sergio Aguero who joined the Catalan side from Manchester City as a free agent on a two-year deal.

Spanish media made much earlier this year of the reported 555 million euros paid Messi over four seasons from November 2017 to the end of last month.

National daily El Mundo splashed in January on what it termed “Messi’s pharaonic contract which is ruining Barca” — that sum including image rights and a series of performance-related bonuses with the player reportedly earning a net 297 million euros.

Messi had been tight lipped about his plans. He granted just two interviews over the past year — one in December and the other at the end of the season — and both times he said “nothing has been decided”.

But Joan Laporta had made keeping Messi on the team a priority ever since he was re-elected as Barcelona president in March.

“Leo loves Barca and knows that we are a big family. Hopefully that can help us encourage him to stay,” he said at the time.

The last president Josep Maria Bartomeu was forced to resign in October after the club’s members succeeded in achieving a vote of no confidence against him following Messi’s attempt to leave.

Meanwhile, bookmakers were leaning towards PSG at Lionel Messi next destination.

“Punters think the Argentinian wizard’s next destination is likely to be 1,000km north in Paris, with PSG the 5/6 favourites to secure his signature,” said Darren Hughes of bookmakers.co.uk.

“For those that think the latest twist in this sorry tale may prove to be yet another double-bluff, Messi is 10/3 to start next season in Camp Nou.

“Other options include Manchester City at 7/2, or any MLS club at 11/1, while even a return to his homeland with Newell’s Old Boys is a staggering 20/1.”

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© Agence France-Presse