Lionel Messi, one of the world’s top soccer players, has informed the FC Barcelona team that he wishes to leave. A source confirmed that Messi sent a certified letter, known as a burofax, to the team stating his intention to leave. However, Messi’s current contract may present some difficulties. He signed an extension in 2017 that commits him to stay with the team until the end of the 2020-2021 season. The contract included an exit clause allowing Messi to leave without any penalties as long as he communicated his decision before June 10, 2020.
Being too late to exercise the exit clause, the club believes Messi is legally obliged to remain with the team until June 30, 2021. Hence, he is not for sale. Barcelona did not receive an offer for him from any club at this point in time. Barcelona’s legal team is now handling the matter.
Messi’s request to leave comes as little surprise after a year of turmoil at the club. The team had a rough season, including a fallout over the mid-season appointment of a new manager that led to his firing last week, smear campaigns against him and his wife initiated by the club, and an 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich that knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League tournament. The loss was Messi’s first without a trophy in twelve years, a season during which the pandemic resulted in a 70% pay cut to his base salary, equivalent to $11 million.
Few clubs can offer Messi his sky-high wages during this pandemic, given the lack of fans at matches. The transfer seems highly unlikely with only Manchester City reportedly as a clear favorite for a reunion between Pep Guardiola and Messi, although Financial Fairplay Regulations may constitute an obstacle for the club. Manchester City’s revenue was $678 million in 2019 (with $72.6 million from the Champions League), putting it fifth in the list of the most valuable soccer teams globally, with an overall franchise value of almost $2.7 billion.
Barcelona is preparing to pay Messi $92 million next season, and a third of this sum is performance-based. As a consequence, he will be an early member of the Billion Dollar Athlete Club after completing his career earnings, pre-tax. Messi’s success is staggering, holding the record for scoring in the most matches and winning the Ballon d’Or a record six times. Ronald Koeman, the new Barcelona manager, is hopeful Messi will stay since he views him as the best player globally and an asset to the team.
