Messy future at Barcelona

 

                 Throughout the history of sports, few athletes have caused a worldwide stir that forces journalists to abruptly down tools and solely focus on each breath one man takes. Every few years we see high profile transactions, such as Tom Brady’s emotional goodbye with the New England Patriots earlier this year, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s surprise move to Italian giants Juventus in 2018. Both legends in their fields, undeniably, but when casting our minds back to the severity of sporting departures only two names come close to breaking the internet. Michael Jordan, October 1993. Lionel Messi, Autumn 2020. Jordan, universally agreed upon as the greatest man to ever pick up a basketball, stunned the world back in the early 90’s when he announced he had netted his final hoop and would be turning to his father’s favourite sport baseball in the wake of his untimely death. Had Twitter and other social media platforms been around in those early days of the internet, ‘Jordan’ would certainly top the ‘trending’ features. Lionel Messi’s decision to move onto pastures new has left the world of sports on a knife edge. The Argentine’s announcement was met with a contrast of emotions from Barcelona supporters. Some are eager to see the back of such a pivotal figure in the club’s history given his age and the reportedly astronomical transfer fee. Others have mourned the news suggesting Messi’s departure signals the end of one of football’s greatest ever dynasties. Like ‘His Airness’ back in 93’ every move of both Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge, is being examined intently.

          An 8-2 thrashing by eventual Champions League winners Bayern Munich proved to be the straw that broke the camels back. A demoralized Barcelona limped off the field in Lisbon knowing fine well this was not just a bad day at the races, or a coincidental poor performance coincided with some efficient German football. Critics attacked Messi’s lifeless leadership in what subsequently became the darkest day in Barcelona’s illustrious history. As Bayern lit up the scoreboard Lionel Messi strolled around the pitch with his eyes fixated on his shoe laces, afraid to lift his head and face the reality that this club, one which he’s dedicated 19-years of his life to, are falling to pieces. The key components to Barcelona’s success of the 2010’s, Gerard Pique (33), Luis Suarez (33) and Sergio Busquets (32) are all nearing the end of their respective careers. Whilst all good things must come to an end, the state of Barcelona football could have been somewhat prevented in recent years. At the beginning of the year Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu appointed Quique Setien as the club’s new head coach, a man with no silverware on an extremely limited managerial CV which includes the likes of Equatorial Guinea. Back in June, Setien and Barcelona agreed a swap deal with Juventus that would see promising young Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo (24) join ‘The Old Lady’ and in return Barcelona would receive 30-year-old journeyman midfielder Miralem Pjanic. Just one year prior to Setien’s appointment, Barcelona acquired Chilean hardman Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich. The midfielder arrived with an impressive CV from his spells with Juventus and Bayern but at 31, and in a midfield with both Busquets and Rakitic already in their 30’s, the Catalan giants weren’t considering the long-term approach. In the ‘Munich massacre’ as we’ll refer to it, loanee Phillipe Coutinho chipped in with a couple of goals against his parent club to rub salt deep into Barcelona wounds. Coutinho hasn’t established himself as a prominent figure in the Barca line-up since joining in 2018 despite the glittering highlight reel he’d accumulated at Liverpool, but the decision to loan him out must surely now be investigated. Barcelona’s famous ‘La Masia’ academy hasn’t produced many first-team regulars in recent years, whether the youths haven’t been granted the opportunity or the standard of the academy has dropped, we don’t know. 17-year-old Ansu Fati is currently on the cusp of breaking through to a main stain in the side, the Spain international has been a product of the Catalonian’s since 2017.

          Barcelona’s struggles of late stem from their unwillingness to move on. Bartomeu may want to take note from Classico rivals Real Madrid. Los Blancos bid farewell to their beloved Cristiano Ronaldo at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. Over ten years in Madrid the Portuguese captain broke countless records, yet at 33-years-old, an offer of over £100 million from Juventus was simply too mouth-watering to pass up. Although Madrid have persevered with veterans Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, Zidane hasn’t hesitated to integrate the ‘future’ of the club into the squad, youngsters such as Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior all featured routinely last season. Transition periods are a common feature in sports. Fans of AC Milan know this all too well. The notorious summer of 2012 saw a host of AC A-listers depart the San Siro, a series of moves that the club still haven’t recovered from. Gattuso, Nesta, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Van Bommel, Zambrotta, Thiago Silva, Pato and Ibrahimovic all exited the building in a traumatic transfer window for supporters of the Rossoneri. Should Barcelona head in the same direction it’s highly unlikely their fall from grace will be as severe as Milan’s. Other than the Madrid clubs (Real & Atletico) Barcelona are seldom tested for the Spanish crown. In Italy it’s not so straight forward, Juventus, Roma, Napoli and city rivals Inter Milan have often lurked around the title in Italian football history, meaning Milan’s struggles couldn’t be swept under the rug.

          When rebuilding, it’s vital to hold onto a few of the veterans, to share their experience with the younger generation. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater like AC Milan in 2012. There have already been some high-profile changes at the Camp Nou. Ivan Rakitic (32) has re-joined Sevilla six years after he left the current Europa League champions whilst thirty-three-year-old Arda Turan has located back to his native Turkey after five seasons as nothing more than a passenger at Barcelona. There have been several reports that prolific goal-scorer Luis Suarez (33) has pulled on the famous blue and red jersey for the last time. Sources suggest new manager Ronald Koeman and co have no room in their plans for the Uruguayan. Die-hard Barcelona supporter and club legend Gerard Pique was another to voice his concerns over the club’s direction. The former Spanish internationalist even offered to move-on should that be in the club’s best interests. Pique has served the club with flawless professionalism in his overall nineteen-year Barcelona career, but he too appears to be in decline. Whilst inevitably Pique will have to hang up his boots, if financially plausible, it’s worth Barcelona using his knowledge to help the newcomers grow.

          This doesn’t have to be the end of an era for Messi in Catalonia. Manchester City are reportedly willing to offer Lionel Messi a three-year contract before shipping him stateside to their partner club New York City FC in the MLS. Pep envisions three more years of Messi magic before the little Argentine can no longer compete at the pinnacle of the game. Knowing what Pep knows, Barcelona must use this short three-year window to bring in (either externally) or nurture (through La Masia) the successors to the Barcelona dynasty. Keep Lionel Messi, keep Sergio Busquets, keep Gerard Pique. The lion-share of reporters have hinted that President Bartomeu is the issue in this nail-biting transfer saga. Bartomeu, the man who hired Setien, gave the Arthur/Pjanic trade the green light and is due in court over tax fraud in the Neymar to PSG deal. No footballer eclipses the club they represent, however, in Catalonia it does feel as though Messi holds all the aces. Barcelona and beyond, the world of football wants to see Lionel Messi not only succeed but to enjoy his football. Lionel Messi is the heart and soul of Barcelona, only Bartomeu can step down and resuscitate this dying club.

Odds on Lionel Messi’s next permanent club:

Man City 4/5           (to stay) Barcelona EVS    PSG 20/1      Inter Milan 25/1   Man Utd 33/1            Newell’s Old Boys 33/1    Chelsea 40/1           Juve 40/1

Any MLS side 40/1             Any CSL side 50/1