Towards the ending of the last week, want away Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi announced he will be going back on his earlier desire to leave the Catalan club and see out the rest of his contract.
As good as the news might be for fans and club president Josef Bartomeu who as got to dogde the bullet aimed at his head, but is it really the best decision for the Catalan club. Here is a few break down of how this might affect the Club.
1. Excessive wage bill:
Barcelona has the highest wage among European clubs with the Catalan giant racking up in bill a total of about €391M per year, insane amount of salary being paid by a football club with almost 10% of it going to Leo Messi alone of about €41M/year with adds on.
At 33 going to 34, not only will Messi depature lessen the club wage bill but they could have negotiated a friendly deal of around €150-200M for their star man and use the fee to get two amazing player that will fit their system.
Barcelona announced they can’t afford Lautaro Martinez early last month due to their wages, imagine how Messi’s departure would have help secure a long term project for the Blaugrana club.
2. Another year to depend on Messi:
It is pretty evident over the past few years, Barcelona is all about Leo Messi but this is mainly because everyone plays for the captain and seldomly relax hoping he will create wonders and this has affect Barcelona a lot in the past few seasons, a shamble of a club without a proper system or strategy bar Messi.
You can hardly deny the talent of the players available at the Blaugrana club circus and not having a Messi around, with a proper set up and system, the club thrive well in competitions.
Yes, it may not be as easier as said, but Messi will soon be 34, having him around for another season is still a temporary solution to the club’s main crisis but just another year to avoid the post Messi era which is inenvitable.
3. Lack of Harmony and Leadership:
As good as Leo is with his feet, loads have been said about his leadership attribute on and off the pitch. It is most apparent when Barcelona concede a goal, the Argentine will be the first to hang his head, making his aura will spread to his teammates.
A look at former Barcelona captains in Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez, they come alive motivating teammates until the last minutes, but sadly, it is not the same with Messi.
Moreso, it is an august belief that Messi leaving Barcelona will expose the club and it will suffer, as true as this claim maybe, the last four years has been nothing short of embarassment for the Catalan club, Rome, Anfield and Lisbon to say the least. The club is exposed already and the pinnacle of a good season for fans around the world is the Champions League.
In a league with obviously three main power house, Barcelona with the right manager and structure should take two years to recover from Messi, Madrid takes just a year to recover from Ronaldo and won the league…. It won’t be easy but its the best to do given the club will still loose the player for free at the end of the season.
