In the summer of 2020, it was reported by a vast number of media outlets that FC Barcelona captain and all-time greatest player Lionel Messi wanted to leave the club after 20 years. This news sent shockwaves across the football world, as it was unclear who he would leave to join, and how the actual transfer would work in regard to transfer fees, salaries and contractual clauses that would ultimately be deal-breaking upon the saga’s conclusion.
Player Profile: Lionel Messi
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time and has enjoyed an illustrious career at Barcelona. Personal achievements include a record six Ballon d’Ors, an accolade regarded as the “most prestigious individual award for football players,” as well as six European golden shoes, an award for the top goal scorer in the top divisions of every European National league (per wikipedia). To further solidify this achievement, he has two more golden shoes than his nearest rival; the notorious Cristiano Ronaldo (per Biography).
Having spent his entire career at Barcelona, he has also won a club-record three trophies, including ten titles in La Liga (the top Spanish national division), four UEFA Champions League titles (the most prestigious European club competition, contested between the top 32 clubs in Europe) and six Copa Del Reys (Spanish National cup competition). It would therefore be fair to say that Lionel is one of the most decorated footballers and sports professionals on the globe, having also won gold with Argentina in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (per Olympic Channel), another highlight of his outstanding career. So, after all of this success, why would Messi want to leave Barcelona this summer?
2020 - A Year to Forget
With the world experiencing a plethora of issues in 2020, Barcelona have certainly had their fair share of problems in the footballing sense. Three of these include the deterioration in relations between the club's president, Bartomeu, and Messi, Barcelona's embarrassing exit from the Champions League, and the crumbling of Barcelona's lead in La Liga.
Bartomeu v Messi - since taking over club presidency in 2014, it is understood that Messi has grown increasingly unhappy with how Bartomeu has run the club, thus playing a large role in Messi’s desire to leave (per insider). The major issue is Bartomeu's poor execution in the transfer market; since being re-elected in 2015, Bartomeu has given the green light for 29 new signings to arrive at the Camp Nou at a cost of approximately £895 million, none of which can be deemed an unqualified success (per goal), suggesting a lack of efficiency and competence within the transfer market and hindering performances on the pitch. Tensions have exceedingly risen between the president and player, as Bartomeu reportedly gave Messi the option as to whether he could go or stay at the end of the season (per Goal). So, as a result, the club president “did not keep his word” (per Goal); this is seemingly the moment that the relationship between the pair disintegrated almost entirely.
Champions League - No games get much bigger than a one-legged Champions League semi final, especially when two European heavyweights are involved. With end to end football inevitable, and Bayern Munich a relentless salvo of goals, it was common knowledge that the game would not be a stroll in the park for the Catalan side. Yet, nobody could have foreseen the final outcome. On the 14th August 2020, the semi-final was played in Lisbon, with a finishing scoreline of 8-2 in Bayern’s favour.
Post-match, it was very difficult to point fingers at an individual, it was an embarrassment on all fronts. A key moment from the game, noticed by many, was for Bayern’s 7th goal, Messi lost possession of the ball on the halfway line and seemingly had no intention one desire to track back and train and recover from his error. Whilst this minor issue is not reflective of Messi’s professionalism, one could say this little cameo was a microcosm for Barcelona’s performance in general on the night. It also sheds some light on the indications that Lionel was growing increasingly unhappy at the club.
Domestic failures in La Liga - focusing more domestically, there was no success in this department either. Real Madrid, Barcelona’s fiercest rivals, clinched their 34th La Liga title, finishing 5 points clear at the summit, with Barcelona finishing in second place (per Standard). There was further disappointment in the Copa Del Rey, exiting at the quarter final stage to Athletic Bilbao (per Wiki). A trophy-less season for a side like Barcelona will always cause panic and uncertainty within the dressing room and within the fan base. However, with a lack of progression apparent, next season could easily be a carbon copy of the previous one. With Messi at the age of 33, he knows he has a short time left on a football pitch at the highest level, despite his numbers that he still maintains. Thus, it seems clear that after the conclusion of the 19/20 season, he wanted to achieve success elsewhere.
The Contract & Its Complications
The possible transfer of Messi is described as “a complicated, high-profile and very valuable legal process”. Yet, it is undeniable that all player contracts in football are far from simplistic; they include a plethora of different hurdles such as image rights, playing time on the field, signing on bonuses as well as the basic wage and many more. There are also a number of clauses that can be included within contracts, and it was indeed a contractual clause within the contract of Lionel Messi that sparked this legal dilemma between the player, the club and La Liga.
Currently, Messi remains contracted to Barcelona until the summer of 2021, having signed a four-year contract back in 2017, with a release clause of a reported 700 million euros. A release clause is indicative of an asking price that must be triggered via a bid from the buying club, and must be accepted by the owning club (per Goal). An example of a transfer that followed this suit this summer was Thomas Partey’s move from Atletico Madrid to Arsenal on transfer deadline day, when Arsenal activated the reported £45 million release clause (per BT).
However, there was an additional clause in Messi’s contract that allowed him to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season if he had the desire to part ways with the club, allowing him to sign for any club he wanted. However the issue was that the contract was “written to reflect the usual sporting calendar” (per FTW), with the season starting in August and ending in June. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the season eventually ended in August, outside of the usual calendar. So when Messi and his legal cohort expressed that the player wanted to leave Barcelona, the club claimed that the clause in his contract had expired, thus if he wanted to leave a club he would have to activate his release clause; the 700 million euro cost of this was something no club in the world could realistically afford and there would also be issues in regards to Financial Fair Play regulations (per FTW) to prevent money loss later down the line for the buying club and to prevent an exceeding amount of money being spent (per Wiki).
Could this dispute have gone to Court? Yes, very easily, but it did not; in an interview with Goal, Messi himself stated: “I would never go to court against Barcelona.” Still, the legal representatives of Messi argued that the June deadline stated on the contract should be pushed back due to the coronavirus crisis (per Guardian), allowing Messi to leave. However, Barcelona’s argument was simple. It would not be pushed back because the it was written in the contract that the clause ended in June 2020. Despite Messi’s evident desire to leave, expressed by his absence from pre-season training and his own father publicly speaking about his son’s interest in playing football elsewhere, he was in many ways forced to stay at the club.
La Liga also sided with the club on the matter (per teamtalk) . It could be suggested that La Liga chose this pathway as they were fully aware on the positive impact Messi’s status and ability has for La Liga, in terms of revenue, viewings and the leagues reputation of being seen as one of the best in the world. It is also worth mentioning a further reason why Court proceedings were even more unlikely as Messi was already undergoing another legal battle to trademark his logo, which he eventually won in the middle of September (per Sky).
So, for another season it is settled that Lionel Messi will remain at the club, despite stating that he wanted to leave “all year” (per Goal). There is no question that this saga will hinder Messi’s performances on the field. With not many years left in the tank at the highest level, Lionel will almost certainly want to make the most of his time left, especially if he does end up leaving at the end of this season. A loyal servant to the Catalan club, Messi clearly wants to leave the club in an amicable manner, as he stated "It is the club of my life, I have made my life here. Barca gave me everything and I gave it everything.” (per Goal). In terms of the legal side of things, its complications and difficulties are like no other transfer the world will have ever seen. This transfer saga is demonstrative of the legal complexities that are persistent within football and sport as a whole. It is an integral and essential part of the sport, however it is rarely focused upon, until situations like this occur.
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