Messi, 34, will not be returning to the club despite agreeing to a deal in principle earlier in the summer. Messi cited financial and structural obstacles as the reasoning for his departure.
Still, it was not enough to appease the soccer legend. Messi had one foot out the door last summer before the club opted to elect President Joan Laporta. With Messi’s previous contract valued at an estimated 500 million euros, the price tag was high–exceptionally high–the most expensive in the sport’s history.
Messi with the Ballon d’Or (photo courtesy Forbes)
Was he worth it? Playing forward, nobody knows. But unquestionably, Messi’s past performance was–in a word–extraordinary. He can make a strong case for being the best player ever.
Dominant ball possession overwhelmed oppositions for years. Over 17 seasons with Barcelona, Messi played 519 matches in La Liga, the top professional Spanish league. He scored 474 goals and chipped in 193 assists to boot. With Messi at the helm, Barcelona won the Champions League in 2009, 2011, and 2015. The club racked up eight Spanish league titles along the way.
Perhaps Messi could have stuck around had Barcelona been willing to pay the price. But the club was not in a position to deliver. Financial struggles due to the COVID-19 pandemic factored in.
Regardless, the Messi Era in Barca has come and gone. Now we’ll see if Paris Saint-Germain can meet the goal scorer’s demands. Whether or not that happens, one thing is certain: football fans everywhere want to see Messi on the field.
