Lionel Messi Tells Barcelona He Wants to Leave

As Messi developed first into the best player of his generation and then, possibly, into the best in history, so Barcelona was transformed into arguably the most popular sports team in the world. For almost a decade, the club represented soccer’s gold standard.

Messi has previously insisted that he wanted to finish his career at Camp Nou — despite earlier suggestions that he would, eventually, return for a season at Newell’s Old Boys, his hometown team — but the chaos of the last few seasons, in which Barcelona has suffered a succession of haunting defeats in the Champions League and run through three managers in the last eight months, appears to have been too much to bear.

Should Barcelona not be able, or willing, to challenge his decision legally, Messi will not be short of suitors. More complex is which of the myriad clubs who would love to call on Messi would be able to afford his salary, which in some estimations runs at around $90 million a year, including image rights and bonuses.

Manchester City — managed by Messi’s old mentor, Pep Guardiola — and Paris St.-Germain, home to his close friend Neymar, would be the likeliest candidates, ahead of Chelsea, Manchester United and even Real Madrid. Inter Milan, though less successful in recent years, has maintained a yearslong dialogue with Messi’s family, and has long attempted to position itself as his first alternative.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/sports/soccer/lionel-messi-barcelona.html