It hurts to see you go again...
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini has made a final decision regarding his future. One that hurts like a dagger to the heart to those who bleed blue and red.
During the last six months all the information led to believe Messi could return to F.C. Barcelona for a “last dance”, after a very bitter departure from the club in 2021.
He was visibly unhappy at PSG and it made sense for him to want to return to his old ways at Barcelona, where he and his family lived a very pleasant life. In fact, Messi had no problem in admitting that the priority was indeed to move back.
If you add to that the multiple times Xavi Hernández, Joan Laporta or Rafa Yuste insinuated publicly that they were working on his comeback, all the indicators were pointing towards a reconciliation between both parties to ultimately join forces once again.
They made us believe that the only bump in this smoothly paved road was LaLiga and their strict ‘Financial Fair Play’ rules. Yet shortly after that was apparently ironed out, Messi spoke up to explain why his future is in the MLS with Inter Miami.
“Although I heard it was being said that LaLiga had accepted everything and that I could return, there were still so many other things that needed to be done. I heard they had to sell players or reduce wages and I honestly didn't want to take responsibility for getting involved in all of that. I was already accused of many things that weren’t true while I was at Barcelona and it’s tiring. I didn't want to go through all of that again. There’s also the time I had to leave when LaLiga had accepted to register me and in the end it wasn’t to be. So I was afraid the same would happen and I didn’t want to experience the rush and uncertainty all over again”.
Barça, on the other hand, released a very concise statement revealing there was an actual proposal on the table, but without giving further details on why the negotiations fell through.
There are no bad guys here. These things happen, especially when it involves a financially crippled F.C. Barcelona.
Although that doesn’t take away how poorly the club has handled Messi’s possible return. Was it really necessary to get ‘culers’ hyped up so often with such explicit remarks on Messi or by leaking optimistic information to the press? Many minds, including mine, had been tricked into thinking the reunion was bound to happen. That it was a matter of time. Why if not would Laporta say “I’ve spoken to Leo to somehow redirect the situation that occurred” or Yuste state that “beautiful stories in life are meant to have a happy ending”.
They should’ve learned from their past mistakes and recent experiences at the club, where things often take a turn for the worse. It would’ve made a lot more sense to work on this discreetly instead of creating so much of that expectation that has now become disappointment.