BarcelonaAt the end of March, a group of Barça managers met for lunch in a restaurant in Barcelona’s Eixample. On leaving, they were asked about a single question. With the Negreira case, the financing of the Camp Nou and the move to Montjuïc as big day-to-day issues at the club, what worried those fans was whether Leo Messi would return or not.
It will soon be two years since the departure of the Argentine forward from Barça, who was received in Paris like a Hollywood star. He signed a contract for two seasons and an optional third, in exchange for about 40 million per season (not counting additional bonuses). But, money aside, the move to the French capital was not a road of roses. He was not comfortable on the grass, where he was not decisive; he had to hear whistles from his fans from the Parc des Princes and saw how the media that follow the news of PSG used to suspend him in the notes of the matches.
Everything seemed to be corrected in the first part of this season, just before the World Cup: he was scoring goals, he was in better shape and no one doubted him. As if he were Barça’s Messi again. Between that and being crowned world champion, with the emotional impact that entailed, Messi and PSG had agreed to extend the contract and fulfill the third year, optional. But that agreement was not signed and a lot has happened since January until now, like a new slap in the Champions League. The soufflé has deflated like a balloon and today Messi is once again a disoriented and apathetic player. The renewal has remained on wet paper and the options to continue in Paris are minimal.
If confirmed, it will be the first traumatic exit for a team on its way to disintegration. Starting with their ownership: Qatar is considering acquiring Manchester United and, in return, is considering selling its stake in France. There is no longer a trace of the glamor with which PSG wrapped itself, two summers ago, when it boasted a team that was a candidate for the Champions League.
Nor is there much left of the institutional solidity of the club, which, last summer, with Kylian Mbappé at the end of his contract, was able to retain the French star with a checkbook when he had already agreed everything with Real Madrid. A shower of millions and a supposed sports project to aspire to everything. The resounding defeats in Europe have given way to internal conflicts. The last, that of Mbappé himself, who criticized his club in a statement for having carried out an advertising campaign to renew season tickets for next season – where neither Messi nor Neymar are there – without his consent. A fact that has opened the doors to a whole series of rumors coming from Madrid, where there is speculation about trying to sign him again this summer despite the fact that the French attacker has a contract with PSG until 2024.
Popular pressure for him to return to Barça
While in Paris they are preparing for the worst scenarios, Messi is looking for his destiny for next season. At Camp Nou, the situation is still the same as it was a few months ago. With the difference that a notable part of the fans is also making popular pressure for the striker to return to what was his home for two decades. As an example, the chants that were heard in the 10th minute in the last classic at Camp Nou. The management team do not hide that his return is an obsession for the president, Joan Laporta, who still feels guilty about his departure. A few days ago, the sporting vice-president, Rafael Yuste, confirmed that there were “contacts” with the Argentine’s environment.
However, not everyone agrees. Some board members admit it’s best to turn the page. Also in the sports area, and in the dressing room there are those who do not see it clearly. But others want it with all their might, like Sergio Busquets, who wants to play with Messi again and who has already informed the club that his renewal is conditioned, in part, on the Argentine’s future.
In the economic and marketing area they live a kind of battle between the angel and the demon. On the one hand, they know that the impact of their return would be capital, in terms of sponsors. And also in the sale of tickets – even if it ends up being played in Montjuïc -. Now, they know that with one fair play negative, the only hope would be a majestic pay cut. “And even so, it may not be enough,” they admit to the noble offices. Meanwhile, Messi is hearing siren songs from Saudi Arabia. A country that, after signing Cristiano Ronaldo, would be willing to pay up to 400 million per year to keep his services.
Nothing is impossible in football. But one last dance of Messi to Barça, taking into account the current context, seems like a chimera.