Why is Messi leaving Barcelona? How LaLiga giants scripted their own downfall

Lionel Messi is all set to bring down the curtains on his illustrious 20-year spell with Spanish giants Barcelona. Having joined the Catalan side as a 13-year-old, the 33-year-old established himself as one of the best players in the world and has been the heart of the team since making his breakthrough.

According to AP, the diminutive Argentian sent a fax document to the club on Tuesday, declaring his intention to depart Camp Nou on a free transfer. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has demanded the club trigger a unique clause in his contract that would allow him to unilaterally terminate his current contract that expires next summer, and officially exit the club as a free agent.

Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona is bound to have a ripple effect on the transfer dealings of most top clubs. The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan are mooted as potential destinations for the forward. However, if available for free, it might result in a hotly-contested race for his signature. 

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Messi transfer reports snowballing: Why is Messi leaving Barcelona? 

A look into Barcelona's performance during the 2019-20 season is an indication of the lack of direction at the club that dominated LaLiga for the past two decades. Barcelona were not only humbled in the league by Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid, but they also exited the Champions League after an embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich. The debacle against Bayern marked an 80-year low for the flailing club, having suffered a similar defeat all the way back in 1940. This is also the third season in a row that the club was knocked out of the UCL after a humiliating loss (AS Roma in 2018 and Liverpool in 2019) and the first time since 2007 that the club ended the season without a single trophy.

The problems at Barcelona lie well beyond their failings on the football pitch. Since Barcelona involuntary sanctioned Neymar's world-record transfer to PSG, the club has repeatedly failed in the transfer market. The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, Paulinho and several others were bought for significant money. Barring a few, none of the acquisitions Barcelona made since Neymar's exit has outlined a clear plan for the club with respect to the club's ideology and tactics. The failure of La Masia is yet another alarming factor.

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Messi and Bartomeu: A relationship strained beyond repair

It is no secret that under the leadership of president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona have regressed drastically. Although Bartomeu began his presidential tenure with a treble-winning season, the Catalan side has slowly moved away from their philosophy over the last few years. Calls for Bartomeu's resignation have been common since he assumed his role. 

Reports also state that Lionel Messi did not always see eye-to-eye with Bartomeu's plan for the club. Circling back to Barca's failure to bring the right players, Messi was said to be largely unsatisfied with the players the club did manage to sign. The prime example was the start of the 2019-20 season when reports in Spain suggested Messi was furious with the club's failed attempt to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou. Without the best players to fit the mould at Barca, the club has largely relied on Lionel Messi's brilliance for the past few seasons. This season, Messi's 31 goals and 26 assists in 44 appearances largely carried the club to a second-place finish in the league.

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(Image Credits: Barcelona Instagram Handle)