Messi reluctantly staying at Barcelona after all

[rooster59]

Messi reluctantly staying at Barcelona after all

 

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Quarter Final - FC Barcelona v Bayern Munich - Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal - August 14, 2020 Barcelona's Lionel Messi in action, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/Pool

 

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Lionel Messi ended speculation about his future at Barcelona by announcing on Friday that he would reluctantly stay for another season rather than tackle his career-long club in court.

 

A week after saying he wanted to leave the Liga side, and with a contract row still raging, the 33-year-old six-time player of the year gave the news Barca fans were hoping for.

 

In doing so, however, the Argentine forward took a big swipe at the club's hierarchy.

 

"I wasn't happy and I wanted to leave. I have not been allowed this in any way and I will STAY at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute," he was quoted as saying by Goal.com.

 

"The management of the club led by (president Josep Maria) Bartomeu is a disaster.

 

"I told the club, the president in particular, that I wanted to leave. They knew this since the start of the past season. I told them during all (of the) last 12 months. But I will stay here because I don't want to start a legal war."

 

By remaining at the Catalan club for the fourth and final year of his contract the six-time world player of the year is in line for a 63 million pounds loyalty bonus and will be able to leave without a transfer fee.

 

"I will continue at Barca and my attitude will not change no matter how much I have wanted to go," he said. "I wanted to go because I thought about living my last years of football happily. Lately I have not found happiness within the club."

 

Earlier on Friday, Messi's father and representative Jorge had insisted in a letter to La Liga that a 700 million euros (625.86 million pounds) release clause in the player's contract was not valid and his son could leave for free.

 

However, despite the standoff between the Messi camp and Barcelona and La Liga, the player has ended the impasse and will see out his contract with the club with whom he has won more than 30 major trophies and scored over 600 goals.

 

Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League last month with an 8-2 demolition by eventual winners Bayern Munich, and hired Ronald Koeman to replace sacked coach Quique Setien.

 

CLUBS DISAPPOINTED

 

The news that Messi will be staying at the Nou Camp, albeit reluctantly, will disappoint the clubs who were hoping to sign the iconic forward, including Premier League Manchester City, managed by his former Barca boss Pep Guardiola.

 

Argentine pay TV station TYC Sports, which has close links with Messi, had reported earlier on Friday that Messi was poised to stay with the Catalan club he joined as a teenager.

 

The situation was further complicated when Jorge Messi wrote to La Liga president Javier Tebas dismissing their claim that the release clause still applied if his son wished to leave.

 

He accused La Liga, who on Sunday backed Barca's stance, of making an error in their interpretation of the contract.

letter published on social media.

 

La Liga responded to Jorge Messi's letter by saying it stood by a statement in support of Barcelona issued on Sunday.

 

Messi dropped the bombshell last week that he wanted to leave the club and that he could do so on a free transfer.

 

On Sunday he failed to show up for a pre-season medical, making a move away look even more likely.

 

His lawyers wanted to invoke a clause in his four-year contract, signed in 2017, which would have allowed the forward to leave the club for free if he had requested it by June 10.

 

They argued that that date -- nominally the end of the season -- was irrelevant after the novel coronavirus pandemic forced an extension of the La Liga campaign deep into August.

 

(Reporting by Martyn Herman in London; Editing by Ken Ferris and Ian Chadband)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-05

 

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[Emdog]

On the plus side, Man  City won't get him for at least a year.

[wilai]

Bloody drama queen......certainly gone down in my estimation. does he not consider he may have been partly responsible for defeats instead of blaming the board/management etc?

[khunken]

33 minutes ago, wilai said:

Bloody drama queen......certainly gone down in my estimation. does he not consider he may have been partly responsible for defeats instead of blaming the board/management etc?

Unfair.

He scored 26 goals in 37 appearances in the just-over season. He has every right to be <deleted> off with the club which had a poor manager and an even poorer defence.

[wilai]

1 hour ago, khunken said:

Unfair.

He scored 26 goals in 37 appearances in the just-over season. He has every right to be <deleted> off with the club which had a poor manager and an even poorer defence

And in his ten previous seasons he scored between 48 and 82. Didn't exactly shine himself this year. If a team is struggling it needs leaders not babies who want to leave a sinking ship in exchange for a chance to win more trophies

 

We all know he's a great player but the sulky attitude sucks.

[khunken]

2 minutes ago, wilai said:

And in his ten previous seasons he scored between 48 and 82. Didn't exactly shine himself this year. If a team is struggling it needs leaders not babies who want to leave a sinking ship in exchange for a chance to win more trophies

 

We all know he's a great player but the sulky attitude sucks.

Yes his and the team's record for 2019-20 was down compared to previous years. When a team with a lousy manager/coach and a leaky defence with a poor goalkeeper is struggling, it takes more than 1 player - even the captain - to turn things around. I also suspect his comments about the club chairman are correct. No club can depend on one player to right its wrongs.

 

Call it sulking if you want to denigrate him, but any player who feels that his club has lost its ability and direction is entitled to look for a better club. Barcelona has been going nowhere for 3-4 years since Inesta, Xavi, Rakitic, Pedro & Neymar retired or were transferred. None of them were replaced by similar quality players. But it's all Messi's fault. Yeah.

[mrbojangles]

1 hour ago, wilai said:

We all know he's a great player but the sulky attitude sucks.

 

 Bit harsh that mate. You don't spend 16 years at a club and throw your toys out for nothing. We aren't privvy to what went on but I doubt it was trivial

[wilai]

Nah....twas the 4-0 hiding at Anfield started the slide. You could see it in his eyes in the dressing room. His heart had gone. And as for Mr bj]s point. You are player, extremely well paid by your club  Like it or not, they do own you. You don't have the right to challenge them. What the hell would have happened to LFC if players had used that attitude with Gillett and Hicks.

 

Anyway until recently he was one of my fave europeans so won't be giving him any more stick.. Just sad for his relationship with the fans as many will turn on him.

[xtrnuno41]

HE should talk to his mates in the field, they are doing the bad job.

Doesnt matter for director or any other out of the field, it's the players doing so.

63 million pounds bonus for loyalty?! Keep whining.

Put in a bonus -malus system, win you get more money, loose and loose money.

All those lazy bumps getting millions and dont want to achieve anything.

[Jack Hna]

70m euros a year. Barca are stupid to not let him go. They have been putting all their systems through him and he's on the decline. Time to change up beginning with him. Looking like Messi is bigger than brand Barcelona and they have no idea how to move forward.

 

Sulky <deleted> deserves a few slaps.