Messi maelstrom has plunged Barcelona into chaos, but it's a crisis of their own making

Lionel Messi steps into a room filled with socially distanced reporters, phones in hand and thumbs at ready, erly waiting to hear six-time Ballon d’Or winner anunce his next club. Barcelona’s rivals are enjoying this spectacular turn of events with a touch of schadenfreude.

*Record scratch* 

*Freeze frame*

“You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation,” Barcelona club captain says to camera.

Argentine wizard has already pressed nuclear button at u Camp, sparking a frenzy on social media on a day that started with Harry Maguire being convicted of assault and attempted bribery of a police official, and ended with Lionel Messi dropping a bombshell on Barcelona via a burofax.

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Barcelona board in disarray as Messi makes intentions clear

re are summers of upheaval and n re’s this. man who has dominated LaLiga since what appears to be forever informed club this week that he intends to draw curtains on his two-decade-long stay in Barcelona. A mere six months earlier, according to Athletic, club’s much-maligned president Josep Maria Bartomeu proclaimed to a group of prominent Catalan businessmen, “Barca is top sporting brand in world.”

To trace origins of crisis that has engulfed club, Josep Maria Bartomeu and  Barcelona board in recent months, a quick walk down memory lane is of essence. Back in 2008, with Pep Guardiola showing Ronaldinho door, Messi’s pay was bumped up to a reported €8 million with ar €4.5 million in incentives, making him club’s highest earner.

Nearly every year since, Messi’s contract has been revised. Massive pay bump followed monumental figures and cut to 2020, club captain finds himself earning rth of €100 million a season. While se numbers may be justified for arguably best player on planet, taking a cue from his frequent pay revisions, or Barcelona stars followed suit. Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique all negotiated new contracts, with Busquets reportedly threatening an exit back in 2016. Such has been culture of negotiation at club.

All while, Barcelona won six of 10 LaLiga titles on offer and two Champions Leagues this decade, along with usual serving of Copa del Reys and Spanish Super Cups.

Over on financial side of u Camp, to say that club is in chaos would do little justice to scale of financial maelstrom. Neymar’s sale to PSG in 2017 fetched a world-record fee of €222 million but Barcelona board opted to spend money nearly as soon as it came in. That money saw Ousmane Dembele (€105 million) arrive same year, with Philippe Coutinho (€160 million) and Antoine Griezmann (€120 million) arriving in subsequent years. se figures compounded fact that club spent nearly €1 billion in transfer fees since 2014. How many signings have since justified that outlay remains a question to be answered.

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In Barcelona, Lionel Messi walks on water. After surrendering title to Real Madrid post restart, he gave a brutally honest review of ir season and claimed y had little chance of beating Napoli in last-16 of Champions League. That Messi once again carried club on his shoulders past Napoli served only to delay inevitable. writing was on wall. Messi had pointed to it.

Bayern Munich humiliation that served as last straw 

quarter-finals saw m face Bayern, though that was less of a football game and more of a mauling. At end of that night in Lisbon, Barcelona begged to be put out of ir misery, 8-2 humiliation ar in long line of volcanic Champions League failures. In corridor of Estadio da Luz in Portugal, Messi sat distraught; a beaten man still coming to grips with how LaLiga giants fell so meekly to a side that was dealing with a crisis in first half of campaign. writing on wall screamed that night.

That was last straw. Change was needed. Pique was first to lay down a marker, asking for wholesale changes and t just with coach or a player. A little reading between lines underlined feeling in dressing room. This was a group of players broken, bruised and battered. "I will be first to offer to go if we need new blood,” Pique stated.

After boardroom scuffles, public airing of laundry (read: Abidal controversy, pay cuts, social media smear campaigns) and a gradual weakening of club’s potential, Messi found himself at a crossroads. Stick or twist? Dig deep or go nuclear? Messi chose to twist. He pressed nuclear button.

burofax Messi sent to club rocked sport. All eyes turned to Spain as Messi demanded an exit, citing a clause that allows him to leave on a free at end of season. club argues that deadline for clause has passed and potential bidders will need to cough up €700 million. A Mexican standoff in Catalonia.

While re is every possibility that this could end ugly, this is undeniably end of an era. t quite ending Messi deserves, but an ending neless. six-time Ballon d’Or winner is w looking at greener pastures where he can express himself in Champions League and avoid being part of a painful rebuild at club he has given two decades of his life to.

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Is this end for Barcelona or Messi though?

A huge part of this showdown has been numbers in Messi’s contract. rth of €100 million in ws every year is a mammoth amount that club could do without in se circumstances. Barcelona board still needs to raise substantial funds to balance books, a situation that saw m force Arthur Melo out club with Miralem Pjanic his curious replacement. Failure of board to balance books could see Article 67 come into play. Article 67 of club statutes dictates that board must resign if debts amount to twice EBITDA (Earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortisation) in consecutive seasons.

For Messi, work of carrying club on his shoulders has taken a pound of flesh. His exit frees up a considerable amount of finances, regardless of wher he leaves on a free transfer. Messi’s departure also frees up on pitch for two of ir record signings – Coutinho and Griezmann. Coutinho shone early in his Barcelona career as he replaced injured Messi but found himself shunted out when Messi recovered. Griezmann has fallen victim to a similar quandary. With on pitch as a floating . 10, 2018 World Cup winner has found himself on wings more often, struggling to have an impact with €120 million weighing heavy.

Ronald Koeman is himself a club legend and is already wielding an iron fist in a manner similar to Guardiola back in 2008. Barcelona do have resources to cope with Messi’s absence. ir status as a superclub (regretfully) allows m to make monumental mistakes but still come out strong in face of ir in-house special serving of adversity.

Messi is unlikely to get procession he deserves. His last game in Barcelona colours could very well be 8-2 demolition job at hands of Bayern. He had a front-row seat to genesis of club’s financial troubles but also has his fate in his hands. For story of a genius like Messi, this is a brutal deuement. Nietzschean superman that he is, though, he will land on his feet, and that’s where he works his magic.

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Im Courtesy: AP