After a long drawn saga, the divorce between Lionel Messi and the club that gave him a platform to conquer the world has finally reached its end. The romance between the Argentine and FC Barcelona is represented well by the hit song End of the Road by Boyz-II-men.
As they say, all good things have a way of reaching their end, and that's the story of arguably the best footballer the Catalan giants have seen and even the history of the sport as a whole.
PSG make Messi an alluring offer
It is not a secret that Paris Saint Germain (PSG) have always coveted Lionel Messi. From the moment news hit the air of a departure, the club prepared for an eventual arrival.
As per Sky Sports, the club has now shown its hand by offering Messi a two-year deal believed to be worth £25m a year after tax. The Argentine captain, who recently won his first international trophy with Argentina, has found the deal too good to resist. Alongside his representatives, he is already weighing up the offer.
Messi carefully considers his next destination
A player of Messi's calibre cannot be short of options, and like a beautiful bride, suitors abound aplenty. While Messi and his team pursue the PSG offer, there are two other potential options for him, but PSG remain the favourites to land his signature.
Other clubs with the financial muscle to sign the Argentine include Manchester City and Chelsea. Both City and Chelsea have not made moves to land the six-time Ballon d'Or winner, leaving PSG in pole position.
Why Barca failed to keep Messi
Joan Laporta's assignment was to keep Messi at Nou Camp, and he set about this assignment from the minute he was contesting the presidential election.
Laporta found the club in a financial mess upon resuming office, and it was clear he would need to move mountains to succeed in keeping their mercurial number 10.
Laporta managed to draw up a contract and got Messi and his team to agree to it, but all failed in the face of "financial and structural obstacles".
If the club had shipped out a few players, they would have created enough room to accommodate the Argentina international.
Tearful Messi bids Barca farewell
In an emotional news conference on Sunday, Messi said he did not want to leave Barcelona. The 34-year-old could not hold back the tears as he received a standing ovation. Speaking to the press, Messi confirmed offering to reduce his wages by 50%, hoping it would be enough to keep him at the club. Alas, it turned out he returned to bid farewell to a club that gave him so much, and he gave everything in return.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
