RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The news that rocked the soccer world on Tuesday was the confirmation by the European press that Lionel Messi has notified Barcelona that he intends to leave the club.
In a season with no titles, something that hadn’t happened since 2007/08, the team said goodbye with a tragic 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the European Champions League. But that was only the final straw for the star.
The 2019/20 season was marked by dissatisfaction in the setting up of the squad and a string of disagreements by the jersey 10 with some key members of the club – Eric Abidal and Quique Setién were involved in a few incidents and are no longer in Barcelona.
Even though he was pointed out as one of the few untouchables in the crisis – alongside Ter Stegen, Lenglet, and De Jong – Messi decided to put an end to his glorious stint with Barça without even waiting for a reshuffle in the squad by Ronald Koeman, the new manager.
Below are some of the reasons that weighed on his decision:
Neymar novel without a happy ending
The last set up of the squad did not meet Messi’s expectations for a winning project. The Argentinean failed to conceal his frustration when he saw Neymar remain in PSG, for instance. Barcelona assured they had done everything possible for the Brazilian’s return, but the French club insisted on his stay.
In November 2019, France Football magazine published a message sent by Messi to Neymar in which the Argentine said he would stay for two more seasons at the Catalan club – something that is now being shortened. Addressing the Brazilian as his successor in Barça, Messi had said that “only together could they win the Champions League”.
In February 2020, Messi said Neymar would be willing to apologize to the fans in order to return to the club. But the novel came to a close with no happy ending for Barça’s No. 10 jersey, who already had the feeling that the club had not done everything in its power.
Valverde for Setién
The president of Barcelona wished to change the team’s command since the painful 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the 2018/19 Champions semi-final, but decided to retain Ernesto Valverde, who had been Spanish champion, for the next season. The manager had the squad’s support and was even publicly defended by Messi, who blamed the setbacks on the players themselves.
However, in January this year, the change was made. Quique Setién was hired. He had left Bétis eight months earlier but was unable to enhance his new team’s performance as expected. Frictions arose in the dressing room and the relationship was worn out between the technical staff and the squad’s veterans.
Something Messi voiced on the day Barcelona lost to Osasuna and saw the 2019/20 Spanish title go to Real Madrid. “Everything we’ve experienced since January has been very bad,” he said, anticipating that things would be difficult in the remaining matches.
Abidal’s position
The repercussion after Valverde’s departure caused friction between Messi and the former left winger, who was once his teammate. As technical secretary, Abidal justified the manager’s dismissal by saying that the players complained about the work that was being done.
Messi then did something quite unusual and turned to social media to voice his dissatisfaction with the manager’s statements. The Argentinean posted an interview and refuted Abidal, saying that he “should name names, otherwise they would be degrading everyone and feeding what is said and untrue.”
Wear with the board
In February 2020, information spread that Barcelona had hired a company to defend the club’s president, Josep Bartomeu, and criticize players – including Messi – on social media. That was denied by the club, but it created discomfort.
About a month later, a new chapter exposed the negative relationship between the board and athletes. With competitions paralyzed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the issue of salary reduction produced additional attrition. Six leaders left Barcelona criticizing the way Bartomeu handled the affair.
In their opinion, the squad’s delay in agreeing to reduce wages by 70 percent was not well regarded. Messi felt uncomfortable and issued an official note to clarify the facts and express his dissatisfaction with “the pressure on something they had always been fully aware they would do.”
Suarez’s dismissal
The announcement that Koeman would not rely on the Uruguayan for the next season was the final event that encouraged Messi to leave. A great friend and teammate of the jersey #9 for six seasons, the Argentine would be deprived of his right-hand-man in Barcelona’s offense, since players like Griezmann and Dembelé, who cost high figures, did not fit in the team as well as had been expected.
Source: Globo Esporte
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