What in Next for Lionel Messi?
What is Lionel Messi going to do next? We’re getting closer to the end of the football season in Europe, and among several different interesting topics, there is one that will definitely steal the headlines in the next few weeks.
The Argentinian superstar was more then clear a few months ago about one thing, he was ready to leave Barcelona and take on a new challenge. Different options came up, but in the end, the club, led by – now gone – President Josep Maria Bartomeu, forced him to stay legally.
Bad move by Barcelona by the way, because Lionel Messi has not been himself ever since, his production has lowered considerably, aside from a few games where his natural greatness shows up, but most of all, because Barcelona had the chance to sell him back then and get hundreds of millions of dollars for him, but now, in June, Lionel Messi will be able to walk out for free and decide for his own where he wants to go, or if he wants to stay.
What will be Lionel Messi’s next step in his career?
There are many different stories and rumors about teams that would like to contact Lionel Messi and offer him some sort of deal, but in reality, there seem to be only 3 real options:
1. Manchester City: This is probably the one that would make more sense, not only because Pep Guardiola is there, and the club owners have the money to afford a deal, but they also have the structure to offer Messi a multi-year plan that makes sense. Remember, Messi will turn 34 in June, at best he can probably give his next team 2 or 3 seasons at top level, plus Manchester City have good players, like De Bruyne, Sterling, Foden, or Silva, that will be fighting for that spot against him.
Manchester City’s group also owns MLS’s New York City FC, so the club can offer him a couple of seasons in the Premier League, and then a move to the MLS, where he could easily play 2 or 3 more seasons comfortably and get a lot more money for boosting the league.
2. PSG: If there’s another team that can also face the economics of bringing Messi in, it’s Paris Saint-Germain. The French giants have taken many steps and efforts to become a top team in Europe but have fell just short. They now have Mbappe, Neymar, Verrati, and Keylor Navas, among others, added to a great coach like Pochettino, they went to the UEFA Champions League final last season, but lost against Bayern Munich.
Adding Messi to the team for sure could take them to fulfill their long-awaited purpose. Plus, everyone wants to see Messi play along Neymar again, and now add Mbappe to that equation, and it’s pure fire power.
3. Stay in Barcelona: This is what all Barcelona fans dream of, for sure. Messi’s real issue is not the club itself, but it was Bartomeu and his team, and now they are gone, and the club is holding elections soon. Joan Laporta, former President, will most likely be back, and Messi has a good relationship with him. His plan to retire at the club where “he was born”, could be back on track, at last on the sentimental side.
However, on the economics part of it, Barcelona could be in a lot of trouble trying to offer Messi a new contract, which we know will not be cheap. There’s a lot more to discuss for each option, but this is a little summary to keep in consideration. What do you think will happen? Where will Lionel Messi play next season?
