Messi’s World Cup Victory Shows Barcelona Erred By Releasing Him.

They maintained that they couldn’t afford to retain him at the time. But now that Lionel Messi has won the World Cup, Barcelona’s decision to let him depart in the summer of 2021 seems to have been one of the most foolish and expensive choices in the team’s history.

They had concluded that he was done.

For another four years, they could have rearranged the mannequins in the storefront display to make room for him. They had the option to sell, spend less on new players (they ultimately signed 34-year-old Robert Lewandowski to a four-year deal), or accept LaLiga’s investment arrangement with CVC, which would have earned him enough goodwill with the Spanish league to allow him to play.

They declined to. If only they had realized that he still had his greatest accomplishment in front of him. The gravy train will now leave Qatar Central and go back to Europe, stopping in Paris rather than Barcelona.

After Argentine writer Veronica Brunati, who is well-connected, tweeted about his potential return, they have been linked to re-signing him next summer. It’s undeniably the decision his family prefers.

Nothing about his future, according to his camp, is now set in stone, but it is obvious that significant strife would need to be bridged and healing would be required for any arrangement to be reached given the rift that developed between him and club president Joan Laporta.

On the implied promise that he would be able to force Messi to remain at the club, Laporta won the most recent presidential election. When Spanish newspaper El Mundo published the specifics of Messi’s latest contract, he defended himself by stating that “He creates a third of the club’s profits.”

Just before the election at the beginning of 2021, Laporta said Sportsmail, “I can only envision him in a Barcelona jersey.” The fact that they [the previous board] misled him is what angers Leo the most. I am fortunate to be able to confirm that Messi has informed me: “Never have you lied to me. You have consistently maintained your promise when you have asked me to do anything “.’

Messi is no longer in the same frame of mind since the club let him depart despite having assured him that a deal had been reached.