Lionel Messi: end of an era

After 778 appearances and 672 goals, just like that, it was over. With one short statement on Thursday evening, Barcelona announced that their best ever player, and the best of all time, had left the club.

This announcement was out of the blue. Only a couple of months ago, it had been announced that Messi had agreed to a new contract on vastly reduced terms, and that an announcement was only a few days away.

The one challenge that Barcelona faced was the need to reduce their wage bill by around £200 million, in order to stay within La Liga’s financial restrictions that cap wages in order to prevent financial implosion. The task was daunting, but one that everyone expected Barcelona to somehow complete.

Efforts have been made at reducing the wage bill, with Junior Firpo shipped off to Leeds, and an attempt to offload Antoine Griezmann through a swap deal with Atletico Madrid, while Samuel Umtiti and Phillippe Coutinho were also touted to other clubs, but to no reward.

And seemingly, on Thursday, Joan Laporta and the rest of the Barcelona board realised that the task was insurmountable revealing both to Messi and the rest of the world that, after 21 years, it was over.

Leo wanted to stay, so he’s not happy. We all wanted him to stay

– Joan Laporta

On Friday morning there were some reports that this could be a power play by Barcelona, that it could be one last desperate attempt to force La Liga’s hand and give them some financial leeway to keep the league’s biggest asset at the club. But Laporta, in a press conference given on Friday morning, seemed to deny any chance of this.

Laporta clarified that he did not want to give any fans any “false hope”, saying firmly that “this negotiation is over”.

The extent of Barcelona’s financial plight, after the absurd mismanagement by ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, was made clear by Laporta: “I can’t make a decision that will affect the club for 50 years.”

Very simply, any deal for Messi was simply not possible, as the club prepares to announce almost a £500 million loss after last season, adding to the almost £1 billion debt that it already was in.

The saddest aspect of the news, however, was that Messi did not want this to happen. Last year, he was desperate to leave, with the famous burofax announcing that he was not happy with the state of the club but, over the past year, that opinion has clearly changed.

Over the course of the season, in footballing terms, green shoots were showing. Ronald Koeman fostered a united team spirit and began, with young players like Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, to get Barcelona playing the kind of beautiful football not seen since the days of ‘MSN’ amd Luis Enrique.

Messi wanted to be part of this revolution, and Laporta stated that “Leo wanted to stay, so he’s not happy. We all wanted him to stay”.

And the reasons why everyone wanted Messi to stay are clear. Putting into words just how much of an impact Messi has had on Barcelona, and world football in general, is impossible.

The list of goals, of assists, of records broken, from the most Barcelona goals to the most La Liga goals to most ever assists, is endless, but none of these stats and numbers conveys just how wonderful Messi was for Barcelona.

Every time a Barcelona game was on TV, you weren’t really watching Barcelona. You were watching Messi. Every movement was masterful, every dribble and pass were something no other player could complete.

The inevitable goal was a formality, and if it was a special one, from outside the box or a dribble past a few players, it was a treat, but not a rare one.

Unlike other players in the ‘GOAT’ debate, from Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi is a complete footballer. He’s not solely a goalscorer, like Ronaldo, but has scored as many goals. He’s not simply dribbler and a character like Maradona but can do that better than anyone in history.

We have to cherish this beautiful footballer, the greatest of all time, while we still can

He’s a dribbler, a passer, a goalscorer, a worker, and, up to this point, a one club man, and that was part of what made him so special. He was committed to the club and raised his level of performance to drag his club over the line. Messi was the longest serving player in European football, and it simply won’t be the same when he wears another club’s shirt.

For Messi, however, this is not the end. We will see him produce more magical moments, probably in the jersey of Paris Saint-Germain, the only club with the funds to sign him, after Manchester City stuck with Jack Grealish as their new number 10.

Barring the nostalgia and sadness that surrounds his Barca departure, Messi at PSG is a mouth-watering prospect. For many, Messi on top of Mbappé, Neymar, Ramos and the rest is a disgusting use of absurd amounts of money and, in many ways, it is, but that money may just buy PSG the greatest team of all time.

We saw Messi, Neymar and Suarez together in the past, but add Mbappé to that mix, and surely there is no chance for any other clubs across Europe. It will be a beautiful sight, but unfortunately it simply won’t be the same. Messi played with joy, with verve, with passion at Barcelona, his true love, but, with a move to PSG, he becomes just another big money acquisition for the Parisians.

But, although his last years in football will not be what they could have been, we will have to cherish this beautiful footballer, the greatest of all time, while we still can.