Deciphering Messi's future
Lionel Messi probably doesn’t care too much about his future at the moment. All he does now is spend time with his new lover, the World cup trophy. They travel together, drink ‘mate’ together and they even cuddle at night in bed. The perfect romance.
While Messi enjoys his newfound love, football journalists are still trying to figure out what the Argentine’s plans are after the current season is over, given his contract with PSG will expire in the summer of 2023.
For many, this would be the right time for Messi to make a grand return to F.C. Barcelona before retiring or moving on to the MLS.
In fact, back in early October the Argentinian journalist Verónica Brunati tweeted the following: “1st July 2023, Lionel #Messi will be a Barça player”. She later clarified that this was the current information she held, but that in football nothing is certain… and at least she was right about that.
Now that the World Cup is over Messi can focus on deciding where his future lies, and recent reports indicate that he won’t return to Barcelona given he has a verbal agreement with PSG to extend his stay. This has been confirmed by the ever-so-reliable Fabrizio Romano.
Yet again, nothing is certain in football. Unfortunately, reports from Barça’s camp aren’t too encouraging either at the moment. Javier Tebas insisted that the Catalan club will have to reduce wages drastically next summer, once again, and that they won’t be able to count on any additional 'levers’ to do so. With this information at hand, it’s no wonder Spanish journalist Javier Miguel has come forward insisting Barça will have a discreet transfer market after the season is over.
Miguel has pointed out that Barça’s priority for then will be the signing of Martín Zubimendi, to replace Sergio Busquets, as well as finding a new right-back. He also notes that the club intends on calling Ez Abde and Nico González back to Barcelona.
In the same tweet Miguel talks about the signing of a superstar striker for the summer of 2024… By then Messi would be 37, so it seems highly unlikely he’d be their target.
So it really feels like it’s a now or never situation for Barça and Messi to cross paths again before he retires. Yet F.C. Barcelona’s economy and competitiveness is still a major issue that is likely impeding the awaited reunion.
Let us know if you’re a romantic and would like a ‘Last Dance’ from Messi at Barça or whether you think it’s time to move on: