Will Lionel Messi leave Barcelona?

[The Viper]

Momentum is growing with rumours Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona after a public bust-up this week. Will the unthinkable happen?

Messi and Barcelona have been a golden combination for the best part of two decades. But after calling out sporting director Eric Abidal on social media this week, and with a clause in his contract allowing him to leave on a free this summer, there are suggestions a break-up could be on the cards.

The Argentinian has been linked with a Pep Guardiola reunion at Manchester City, under whom he twice won the Champions League as well as three La Liga titles across four remarkable years at the Nou Camp. Messi also won four of his six Ballon D'Ors during their time together.

A departure from the Spanish champions has often been spoken about but the rhetoric has changed, in so much as club legend Lobo Carrasco told Spanish TV this week: "It's the first time Messi has looked to me like he has one foot out of the door."

Messi-Abidal spat - what exactly was said?

In an interview with Catalan newspaper Sport on Tuesday, Abidal claimed "lots of players were not satisfied [with former head coach Ernesto Valverde] and nor did they work a lot".

He added: "There was also an issue of internal communication. The relationship manager-dressing room has always been good but there are things, as a former player, I can smell. I told the club what I thought and that [I thought] a decision had to be made."

Messi fought back on his Instagram page, posting a picture of the interview, circling the area of contention which read: "The man in charge of the sporting directorate explains that 'lots of players were not satisfied and nor did they work much'."

The Argentine subsequently denied that Valverde's sacking was the players' responsibility and accused Abidal of "dirtying" the squad.

"Honestly, I don't like doing these things but I think that everyone has to be responsible for his acts and take responsibility for their own decisions," Messi wrote.

"The players [are responsible for] what happens on the pitch, and we have been the first to recognise when we were not good. The people in the sporting directorate should also assume their responsibility and above all take ownership of the decisions they make.

"Finally, I think that when players are talked about, names should be given because, if not, we are all being dirtied and it feeds comments that are made and are not true."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...barcelona-legend-leave-nou-camp-after-bust-up

 

[PakLFC]

Almost certain that Man City will agree to signing him on a free transfer agreeing to his £1 million a week demand. No one else is stupid enough to agree to such absurd terms.

 

[The_KING]

Messi is never leaving Barcelona. Him and Barcelona are made for each other. A match made in heaven.

I’m laughing at these stupid rumours because of a bust up with Abidal. And what’s even more ridiculous is linking him with Man City, because of the Pep connection. Honestly, people who start these rumours are absolute idiots.

 

[Waleed93]

He is never going to leave Barcelona.

He didn't leave when he was at the peak of his career, he is not going to leave because of such small issues, that too at the age of almost 33.

 

[Mamoon]

He won’t leave, but it would be incredible to see the GOAT terrorize premier league defenses and put the laughably idiotic assertion that “he cannot succeed in England”, after destroying English sides throughout his career.

He will be as good in England as he is in Spain.

 

[Waleed93]

He won’t leave, but it would be incredible to see the GOAT terrorize premier league defenses and put the laughably idiotic assertion that “he cannot succeed in England”, after destroying English sides throughout his career.

He will be as good in England as he is in Spain.

Destroying English sides while playing for Barcelona at the Camp Nou is completely different to destroying English sides while playing in the EPL. He has spent 15+ years at the Camp Nou and moving to another club is not going to be an easy task for him, especially at this age.

A player needs time to adapt to different playing conditions, adapt to different styles of play, playing with different levels of teammates, etc..

 

[Mamoon]

Destroying English sides while playing for Barcelona at the Camp Nou is completely different to destroying English sides while playing in the EPL. He has spent 15+ years at the Camp Nou and moving to another club is not going to be an easy task for him, especially at this age.

A player needs time to adapt to different playing conditions, adapt to different styles of play, playing with different levels of teammates, etc..

Players of his caliber manage. Look at Ronaldo at Juventus. His scoring rate has dwindled not because of playing in a new league and a new team but because of his age. He is not the player he once was, but he is still showing his incredible quality.

The challenge of playing in the Premier League is a myth. Almost every talented attacking player from Spanish and South American leagues have easily adjusted and score bags of goals, and none of them have an ounce of ability that Messi possesses.

Players of Messi and Ronaldo caliber will adjust to any team in any league. Besides, Messi will have no time adjusting to Pep Guardiola’s side.

It will be amazing to watch him play with the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Sterling etc. However, Aguero will have to be sold.

Still don’t think it is going to happen, but if he every decides to play for another European club, it will most probably be Pep’s City.

 

[Down2Earth]

I don't care where he goes as long as he doesn't sign for man city

 

[Waleed93]

Players of his caliber manage. Look at Ronaldo at Juventus. His scoring rate has dwindled not because of playing in a new league and a new team but because of his age. He is not the player he once was, but he is still showing his incredible quality.

The challenge of playing in the Premier League is a myth. Almost every talented attacking player from Spanish and South American leagues have easily adjusted and score bags of goals, and none of them have an ounce of ability that Messi possesses.

Players of Messi and Ronaldo caliber will adjust to any team in any league. Besides, Messi will have no time adjusting to Pep Guardiola’s side.

It will be amazing to watch him play with the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Sterling etc. However, Aguero will have to be sold.

Still don’t think it is going to happen, but if he every decides to play for another European club, it will most probably be Pep’s City.

Ronaldo's age was certainly a factor, but I think the reason why he didn't score as many goals as he used to score at Madrid during his first year at Juventus was actually the fact that even he needed time adapt to completely different style of football after spending almost a decade in Spain.

Look at him this season, he has started to adapt to different playing conditions and he is scoring at the same rate he used to score at Madrid and he has just turned 35 years old.

Obviously, Ronaldo and Messi are at a different level compared to the rest and they always find a way to score. However, at this age, I don't think Messi would be able to adjust to a defensive Italian League for example, the only reason being that he has spent so much time in La Liga that he has gone used to it, and football is not played in the same style everywhere.

However, all of this is pointless and we can only imagine how he would fare in other leagues as he is going to retire in 2-3 years time, at Barcelona.

 

[AdamM97]

His weekly wages at Barcelona are way too high. No way any other club will be willing to pay him that much.

However, I won’t be surprised if Messi plays 1-2 seasons for River Plate or any other Argentinian club before retiring. But I can’t see him leave Barcelona anytime soon.

 

[The_KING]

Messi is 32, almost 33. My insides hurt thinking that him and Ronaldo will most likely retire in the next 3-4 years. That’s a scary thought.

 

[Waleed93]

Messi is 32, almost 33. My insides hurt thinking that him and Ronaldo will most likely retire in the next 3-4 years. That’s a scary thought.

Ronaldo will probably stay around for 4-5 years, this is what he thinks at the moment atleast.

It will be tough to see them both retiring though.

 

[MenInG]

Pep Guardiola has played down suggestions that Lionel Messi could join him at Manchester City and believes the playmaker will end his glittering career at Barcelona.

Messi, 32, has spent his career with Barca but has a clause allowing him to leave for free this summer.

Guardiola coached Messi at the Nou Camp between 2008 and 2012, winning three La Ligas and two Champions Leagues.

"He will stay there (at Barca), that's my wish," said the Man City boss.

Guardiola left Barca for Bayern Munich having become their most successful manager, with 14 trophies in four seasons.

He went on to win three successive league titles in Germany and has won the Premier League for the last two seasons with City, although this term they trail Liverpool by 22 points with only 13 games remaining.

Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or player award six times, 10 league titles and four Champions Leagues, is under contract until 2021.

But he spoke out this week against Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal after the Frenchman accused players of not working hard under former coach Ernesto Valverde.

Barca are three points behind leaders Real Madrid in La Liga but Guardiola would not be drawn on the apparent unrest between Messi and Abidal - both former players of his - adding: "I'm not going to talk about players for other clubs.

"I think he will finish his career there, that's my wish."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51418600

 

[msb314]

Players of his caliber manage. Look at Ronaldo at Juventus. His scoring rate has dwindled not because of playing in a new league and a new team but because of his age. He is not the player he once was, but he is still showing his incredible quality.

The challenge of playing in the Premier League is a myth. Almost every talented attacking player from Spanish and South American leagues have easily adjusted and score bags of goals, and none of them have an ounce of ability that Messi possesses.

Players of Messi and Ronaldo caliber will adjust to any team in any league. Besides, Messi will have no time adjusting to Pep Guardiola’s side.

It will be amazing to watch him play with the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Sterling etc. However, Aguero will have to be sold.

Still don’t think it is going to happen, but if he every decides to play for another European club, it will most probably be Pep’s City.

Falcao, Pato, Di Maria, Higauin, Robinho and Pizzaro all failed miserably in the EPL...

 

[Mamoon]

Falcao, Pato, Di Maria, Higauin, Robinho and Pizzaro all failed miserably in the EPL...

You can also add Shevchenko to the list. They all had different reasons for it though, it I wasn’t simply the inability to adjust to English football.

English football changed after the advent of foreign managers starting with Wenger. English players rarely move abroad otherwise you will see a similar list of successful English players failing in other leagues due to a multitude of reasons.

Falcao was the biggest missed opportunity for PL in recent years. Had he moved to Chelsea along with Villas-Boas in 2011, he would have been a superstar in England.

Joining Monaco was a terrible side move for him, and he was never the same player after his ACL injury in 2014.

There is absolutely no way Messi would struggle in the PL. Not even the remotest possibility. I do hope he goes to City and puts these ridiculous assumptions to rest once and for all.

 

[msb314]

You can also add Shevchenko to the list. They all had different reasons for it though, it I wasn’t simply the inability to adjust to English football.

English football changed after the advent of foreign managers starting with Wenger. English players rarely move abroad otherwise you will see a similar list of successful English players failing in other leagues due to a multitude of reasons.

Falcao was the biggest missed opportunity for PL in recent years. Had he moved to Chelsea along with Villas-Boas in 2011, he would have been a superstar in England.

Joining Monaco was a terrible side move for him, and he was never the same player after his ACL injury in 2014.

There is absolutely no way Messi would struggle in the PL. Not even the remotest possibility. I do hope he goes to City and puts these ridiculous assumptions to rest once and for all.

I didn’t mention Shevchenko because:
A) He is not South American
B) He is not Spanish

Anyway - all these players struggled because they couldn’t adjust to the physicality of the EPL (although to be brutally honest Robinho was overhyped and struggled everywhere he went lol)

Regarding Falcao - I doubt he would have done any better under AVB because he would have competed with Drogba and Torres that season. He actually did well at Monaco and yes I do agree his ACL injury was disastrous for him.

Feel free to disagree..

 

[KingKhanWC]

I doubt he will leave, probably a ploy to get even more money.

Messi is one of the GOAT, no doubt, incredible talent. But anyone who thinks he would scoring 50/60 goals a season playing in England, has no idea of football at all. They have never played football at a decent level and never witnessed many games live at the ground in England.

 

[hamid.s]

He won't leave. Pep can try to convince Messi but even his own future isn't certain with Man City.

Messi is reaching the end of his peak. If he leaves Barca now, he needs to prove himself again in the new club/league and this may damage his legacy. Even though Ronaldo is older, I think he is physically fitter than Messi and was able to continue scoring goals for Juve.

 

[Mamoon]

I doubt he will leave, probably a ploy to get even more money.

Messi is one of the GOAT, no doubt, incredible talent. But anyone who thinks he would scoring 50/60 goals a season playing in England, has no idea of football at all. They have never played football at a decent level and never witnessed many games live at the ground in England.

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in 2007-08 for United when he was yet to reach his full peak. In spite of being absolutely brilliant that season, he was still a level below his most devastating version that we saw from 2010 to 2016.

Had he stayed instead of leaving for Madrid in 2009, he would have regularly scored 50+ goals per season for Man United.

Suarez in 2013-14 was the closest any player has been to the level of Messi/Ronaldo in the last 10 years.

In spite of missing the first 9 league matches due to suspension and not playing in Europe, Suarez still managed to score 31 goals.

If he wasn’t suspended and if Liverpool were playing in Europe, he would have easily cross the 50 goal barrier.

The reason why PL fans think no can score 50+ goals in England is because they have never had peak Ronaldo or Messi play in England, who would have scored 50+ goals across competitions year in year out.

These two have taken goal scoring to a completely different level and it is highly doubtful if anyone would ever replicate their strike rate, at least not for the next 30-40 years.

In the last 10 years, the least number of goals that Messi has scored in a season is 41 (2013-14, 15-16).

At the age of 33, he may not break his own goal scoring records, but he will definitely outscore PL’s best goal-scorers like Mane, Salah, Aguero, Kane, Aubameyang, Vardy etc. by a very comfortable margin. None of them are comparable to him.

 

[Mamoon]

He won't leave. Pep can try to convince Messi but even his own future isn't certain with Man City.

Messi is reaching the end of his peak. If he leaves Barca now, he needs to prove himself again in the new club/league and this may damage his legacy. Even though Ronaldo is older, I think he is physically fitter than Messi and was able to continue scoring goals for Juve.

Ronaldo is fitter but Messi is the more complete player. They are equal as goal-scorers, but Messi’s vision and playmaking are at a completely different level.

He might not score as many goals as he used to, but he can play as an attacking midfielder and playmaker for a long time. As long as he is not tasked with defensive duties, he can easily play in midfield.

Ronaldo will retire the day he stops scoring goals. He still a good player without the goals, but he is not extraordinary without goals like Messi is.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in 2007-08 for United when he was yet to reach his full peak. In spite of being absolutely brilliant that season, he was still a level below his most devastating version that we saw from 2010 to 2016.

Had he stayed instead of leaving for Madrid in 2009, he would have regularly scored 50+ goals per season for Man United.

Suarez in 2013-14 was the closest any player has been to the level of Messi/Ronaldo in the last 10 years.

In spite of missing the first 9 league matches due to suspension and not playing in Europe, Suarez still managed to score 31 goals.

If he wasn’t suspended and if Liverpool were playing in Europe, he would have easily cross the 50 goal barrier.

The reason why PL fans think no can score 50+ goals in England is because they have never had peak Ronaldo or Messi play in England, who would have scored 50+ goals across competitions year in year out.

These two have taken goal scoring to a completely different level and it is highly doubtful if anyone would ever replicate their strike rate, at least not for the next 30-40 years.

In the last 10 years, the least number of goals that Messi has scored in a season is 41 (2013-14, 15-16).

At the age of 33, he may not break his own goal scoring records, but he will definitely outscore PL’s best goal-scorers like Mane, Salah, Aguero, Kane, Aubameyang, Vardy etc. by a very comfortable margin. None of them are comparable to him.

He is 33, those examples you have given are of players who were at the start of their peak. You've never played the great game and only write guessing and what you've read online.

PL is very tough physically, Messi would be shoved around like a rag doll because here the refs are much more lenient on contact.

 

[Mamoon]

He is 33, those examples you have given are of players who were at the start of their peak. You've never played the great game and only write guessing and what you've read online.

PL is very tough physically, Messi would be shoved around like a rag doll because here the refs are much more lenient on contact.

I am not talking about now. I have clearly mentioned that Messi at 33 is unlikely to break his own goal scoring records, but he will still score more goals than the best PL attackers because he is still the best player in the world and thus better than them.

I talked about how Messi and Ronaldo would have scored 50+ goals per season while playing in England if they were in their peak years.

PL physicality is a myth today. It is not the 90’s anymore. Diminutive technicians are successful in England and Messi is more physical than them.

The PL defenders have not been able to rag-doll non-physical players like Hazard and Silva, who don’t have Messi’s acceleration, speed and balance.

Peak Torres was not physical, but his agility, pace, movement and anticipation allowed him to become the most deadly striker in England before his knee injury prior to the 2010 World Cup hampered his career.

The vast majority of defenders in the PL struggle against vastly inferior technicians than Messi, who would leave them on their backsides before they can think about rag-dolling him.

You can continue to maintain a condescending tone and make personal attacks, but I gave you examples of Ronaldo and Suarez and you failed to counter them and instead, resorted to lazy stereotypes and generalized statements that don’t hold true on close inspection.

You might be a “great” player of the “great game” and you might watch the games in stadiums regularly, but your understanding and knowledge of football seems quite average.

Perhaps you will be better informed if you take if your Premier League blinkers, but I guess it is too late now.

 

[The_KING]

I doubt he will leave, probably a ploy to get even more money.

Messi is one of the GOAT, no doubt, incredible talent. But anyone who thinks he would scoring 50/60 goals a season playing in England, has no idea of football at all. They have never played football at a decent level and never witnessed many games live at the ground in England.

Salah a couple of seasons ago got nearly 50 goals. Messi, a far superior talent with far better consistency will easily score 50-60 goals a season playing in England too.

Honestly, the biggest myth in football is this so called competitive nature of the premier league and how every other league is inferior to the premier league.

 

[in_cutter]

Should have left Barcelona a few seasons ago. Seeing him at the same club for this long has got boring. He needed a new challenge.

 

[shebimalik]

Should have left Barcelona a few seasons ago. Seeing him at the same club for this long has got boring. He needed a new challenge.

Messi should have left the barca to join which club? is there a better one than barca. why people think that playing for barca is no challenge

 

[shebimalik]

Players always leave small club to join big one but people want Messi to leave barca to join pathetic PL teams just to prove to them. He does'nt need to prove anything. And PL fans should be happy that Messi and Ronaldo played in spain, had they played in PL they would turned the PL to a 2 team league the way they have turned la liga.

 

[shebimalik]

https://youtu.be/gj1VJlw4i5E
16 year old Messi playing in spanish third division.
He was always a genius.

 

[Mamoon]

Players always leave small club to join big one but people want Messi to leave barca to join pathetic PL teams just to prove to them. He does'nt need to prove anything. And PL fans should be happy that Messi and Ronaldo played in spain, had they played in PL they would turned the PL to a 2 team league the way they have turned la liga.

Well said.

Another lazy myth was that the PL is too competitive and it will never be a two horse race because any of the top 4 or 6 teams can win the league.

We have seen how competitive the league is this season, or how competitive it has been over the last couple of season with City and Liverpool playing at a different level than the other members of the top 4 and top 6.

When one or two teams become too strong, the league automatically becomes less competitive.

These PL hype fans don’t understand football. They think England is the only league in the world, and playing at Stokes or Bournemouth is the ultimate challenge in football which is why Messi should leave Barcelona and end up playing for a smaller club.

The same fans then don’t question why SAF, the greatest British manager in history, never “proved himself” outside his comfort zone in the British isles.

 

[Mamoon]

Salah a couple of seasons ago got nearly 50 goals. Messi, a far superior talent with far better consistency will easily score 50-60 goals a season playing in England too.

Honestly, the biggest myth in football is this so called competitive nature of the premier league and how every other league is inferior to the premier league.

Good point. I somehow forgot about his goal tally in 2017-18.

So Salah, a vastly inferior player to Messi can score 44 in a season while playing in England, but Messi will never get 50 goals. Lol.

It won’t be surprised if our friend here actually thinks that Salah is better than Messi. After all, he plays football at a high level and watches matches at stadiums.

 

[Mueez]

Imagine Messi playing at Juventus...

Ronaldo and Messi teammates, damn.

 

[Hasan123]

Good point. I somehow forgot about his goal tally in 2017-18.

So Salah, a vastly inferior player to Messi can score 44 in a season while playing in England, but Messi will never get 50 goals. Lol.

It won’t be surprised if our friend here actually thinks that Salah is better than Messi. After all, he plays football at a high level and watches matches at stadiums.

Jamie Vardy who a non league player a few years ago is regularly scoring 20 goals in the premier league. But Messi wouldn't score 20 goals in the PL. Some fans live in a delusional world.

 

[Hasan123]

Messi will not leave Barcelona. He loves the club.

 

[big_gamer007]

Messi will not leave Barca. Got to laugh at people who think he won't succeed in PL, just shows the lack of knowledge these people have. Should stick to what they do best, obsess about India.

 

[AdamM97]

Jamie Vardy who a non league player a few years ago is regularly scoring 20 goals in the premier league. But Messi wouldn't score 20 goals in the PL. Some fans live in a delusional world.

Don’t be too sure about it. English Football is very physical and is much more intesive compared to La Liga, and short/physically weak players struggle there a lot, at least initially until they adapt to English football.

Just look at how bad Salah was when he played for Chelsea.

 

[Mamoon]

Don’t be too sure about it. English Football is very physical and is much more intesive compared to La Liga, and short/physically weak players struggle there a lot, at least initially until they adapt to English football.

Just look at how bad Salah was when he played for Chelsea.

Torres, Silva, Aguero, Hazard are all technical, non-physical players who hit the ground running. Messi is several, several notches above them. His ball control, balance, passing, vision, finishing etc. are all far better.

Salah failed because he wasn’t given enough chances by a coach who doesn’t play free flowing football.

When you sign Messi, you alter your playing style to suit his needs.

 

[Hasan123]

Don’t be too sure about it. English Football is very physical and is much more intesive compared to La Liga, and short/physically weak players struggle there a lot, at least initially until they adapt to English football.

Just look at how bad Salah was when he played for Chelsea.

Some of the best premier league players ever have been small and technical.

Lol Salah hardly got any games at Chelsea. Was nothing to do with him not being able to handle the physicality.

 

[AdamM97]

Torres, Silva, Aguero, Hazard are all technical, non-physical players who hit the ground running. Messi is several, several notches above them. His ball control, balance, passing, vision, finishing etc. are all far better.

Salah failed because he wasn’t given enough chances by a coach who doesn’t play free flowing football.

When you sign Messi, you alter your playing style to suit his needs.

Torres and Aguero are non-physical? Torres was 6ft+ and Aguero is actually a physical player despite his short stature. I didn’t say that Messi won’t succeed, but one should never be too sure.

Like Emannuel Petit, I also believe that Messi would struggle initially if he was to play in the PL, he’s used to the tiki-taka and low-intesive style of play. When he played against Liverpool last season in the UCL semi final 2nd leg, a small 5”9 kid like Robertson had Messi in his pockets.

 

[AdamM97]

Some of the best premier league players ever have been small and technical.

Lol Salah hardly got any games at Chelsea. Was nothing to do with him not being able to handle the physicality.

Right, but they’re used to the high-intensity play of the PL. I do believe that Messi would struggle in his first season in the PL. He wouldn’t be awful, but nowhere as good as he is in La Liga.

 

[Hasan123]

Right, but they’re used to the high-intensity play of the PL. I do believe that Messi would struggle in his first season in the PL. He wouldn’t be awful, but nowhere as good as he is in La Liga.

Messi would take apart those average defenders at Norwich, Bournemouth, Watford,and Aston Villa. Premier league isn't about physicality now. Most teams play an intense style with pace and technical ability.

 

[The_KING]

Torres and Aguero are non-physical? Torres was 6ft+ and Aguero is actually a physical player despite his short stature. I didn’t say that Messi won’t succeed, but one should never be too sure.

Like Emannuel Petit, I also believe that Messi would struggle initially if he was to play in the PL, he’s used to the tiki-taka and low-intesive style of play. When he played against Liverpool last season in the UCL semi final 2nd leg, a small 5”9 kid like Robertson had Messi in his pockets.

Ah, another Premier League fan who thinks that Messi will struggle in the most overrated league in the world. Messi has dominated the top English teams for years in Champions League. At his peak, Messi was so good that no Premier League defender would get near him. He wouldn't even need to be physical, as he won't let any one near him.

Plenty of foreign players with far less talent than Messi hit the ground running straight away in the Premier League, yet Messi will struggle initially lol.

And it's funny how Messi detractors keep mentioning the Liverpool second leg tie. Messi already did his job in the first leg when he put Barcelona in a commanding 3-0 lead. It was the fault of Barcelona's defence and their crappy coach, that he lost 4-0 in the second leg.

 

[Mamoon]

Torres and Aguero are non-physical? Torres was 6ft+ and Aguero is actually a physical player despite his short stature. I didn’t say that Messi won’t succeed, but one should never be too sure.

Like Emannuel Petit, I also believe that Messi would struggle initially if he was to play in the PL, he’s used to the tiki-taka and low-intesive style of play. When he played against Liverpool last season in the UCL semi final 2nd leg, a small 5”9 kid like Robertson had Messi in his pockets.

Height isn’t everything. Torres had a light frame and went to ground easier than Messi does. He was the best striker in the PL from 2007 until his knee injury in 2010 because of his acceleration, movement and agility. Messi is far better on all three fronts.

Messi’s physically is extremely underrated. Anyone who stereotypes him as a small, weak player who struggles against imposing defenders clearly doesn’t watch him regularly.

He is actually more physical than Aguero and rarely goes to ground.

Not sure what is the point of mentioning Robertson. I thought you were interested in a serious discussion but I don’t think that’s the case.

Messi has dominated countless physically imposing defenders throughout his career. He destroyed Liverpool at Nou Camp and Van Dijk was running away from him and Robertson was invisible.

No player, apart from Ronaldo, has terrorized defenders more in the last 12-13 years than Messi. He has destroyed Ramos a dozen times who will eat Robertson alive and dislocated Salah’s shoulder with an MMA tackle.

He made the 6 ft 4 inch, 200 pounds Boateng fall on his face.

I can go on and on and on....and on.

Messi is 100x the player Petit was and is three levels above any player who has ever played in the PL excluding Ronaldo, who wasn’t at his peak in England anyway.

Even today, he will destroy the PL and it will actually be an honor for English football to see the ultimate GOAT in their league before he hangs his boots.

If he joins City this summer, he will definitely score between 40-50 goals overall and comfortably win the PL golden boot.

Trust me on this. I am as obsessed with football as I am with cricket. Anyone who thinks PL is too tough or physical for Messi will be in a for a huge reality check if he honors English football with his presence.

 

[AdamM97]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION].

Torres wasn’t physical? Quite the opposite. Torres used to be very physical between 2007-2009. Once he found a gap between the defence, hardly anyone could intercept the ball. I can recall two famous instances from the back of my head: his goal against Germany in Euro 2008 final and his famous goal against Man Utd where a strong and physical Vidic wasn’t able to stop Torres.
Yes, unfortunately Torres injury led to his demise. Carragher even admitted that Torres wasn’t the same mentally either after his injury.

But coming back to Messi, he isn’t physical at all. Messi is a GOAT and is the most technically gifted player out there, which is why he dominates La Liga, and I’m sure he’d do well in the PL. But I doubt he’d do just as good as he does in the La Liga. Watch any interview from a manager who has played against Barcelona in the UCL, they’ll tell how they went for a physically strong defence/midfield to stop Messi. Mourinho famously insisted to his players in Chelsea to be extra physical towards Messi. Surely no manager would ask his players to put physical pressute on Messi if that was his strength.

Forget Robertson, just see how beautifully Bayern Munich outplayed Messi back in 2013 by playing with a physically strong midfield. Barcelona were left with no answers on how to fully utilize Messi in that game. And I’m sure there’s more instances such as that, but you get my point. I don’t think Messi would be bad in the Premier League, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be able to dominate the PL in the same fashion as he does in La Liga.

 

[AdamM97]

Messi would take apart those average defenders at Norwich, Bournemouth, Watford,and Aston Villa. Premier league isn't about physicality now. Most teams play an intense style with pace and technical ability.

Sure Messi would tear apart those mediocre teams in the PL just like he does with all those mediocre teams in La Liga(apart from 2-3 teams).

 

[AdamM97]

Ah, another Premier League fan who thinks that Messi will struggle in the most overrated league in the world. Messi has dominated the top English teams for years in Champions League. At his peak, Messi was so good that no Premier League defender would get near him. He wouldn't even need to be physical, as he won't let any one near him.

Plenty of foreign players with far less talent than Messi hit the ground running straight away in the Premier League, yet Messi will struggle initially lol.

And it's funny how Messi detractors keep mentioning the Liverpool second leg tie. Messi already did his job in the first leg when he put Barcelona in a commanding 3-0 lead. It was the fault of Barcelona's defence and their crappy coach, that he lost 4-0 in the second leg.

I’m a PL fan, yes. I’ve been a Chelsea fan since I was a kid so I’m naturally more interested in watching the PL, but also because it’s the most competitive league in the world. No other league, apart from Serie A has that many world class teams in a single league.

The only world class teams in La Liga are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia to a certain extent. Take away Barcelona and Real Madrid, and it’s just as bad as the French Ligue 1 which is famously referred to as the ”farmers league” all across Europe as a joke.

And yes, Messi wouldn’t be at his best because of his lack of strength, at least initially until he adapted to the Premier League. Plenty of former players(including former Barcelona players) as well as managers like Mourinho have said that.

 

[Hasan123]

Sure Messi would tear apart those mediocre teams in the PL just like he does with all those mediocre teams in La Liga(apart from 2-3 teams).

Messi has score 28 goals against English sides in the champions league. If he is scoring against the top teams in England imagine what he will do against the dross at the bottom of the league.

The premier league is ovverated. Look at how easily Liverpool are winning the league. When PSG do the same in France the French league is called farmers league. Yet the premier league poach these teams best players every year. Other than City and Liverpool, the rest of the teams are average.

 

[The_KING]

I’m a PL fan, yes. I’ve been a Chelsea fan since I was a kid so I’m naturally more interested in watching the PL, but also because it’s the most competitive league in the world. No other league, apart from Serie A has that many world class teams in a single league.

The only world class teams in La Liga are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia to a certain extent. Take away Barcelona and Real Madrid, and it’s just as bad as the French Ligue 1 which is famously referred to as the ”farmers league” all across Europe as a joke.

And yes, Messi wouldn’t be at his best because of his lack of strength, at least initially until he adapted to the Premier League. Plenty of former players(including former Barcelona players) as well as managers like Mourinho have said that.

How many world class teams are exactly in the premier league? This season, only Liverpool has been world class. Man United have been average since 2013, Arsenal since 2006, Chelsea since the first season of Conte, Spurs have never been world class. This season Premier League is just like the French league, where one team is running away with it. But of course, you won't admit that Premier League is a really weak league at the moment, because of the whole narrative by the media that it's the most competitive league in the world. I bet you are one of those who believe that any of the top 6 teams can win the Premier League at the start of the season.

Let me tell you one time. Messi won't have to adapt to anything. Teams will adapt to him. Any team that signs him will built a team around him, so he won't have to do much adapting as the system that he would play in would get the best of him.

 

[sweep_shot]

Messi is on his last leg and he should try another club. Ronaldo switched and went to Juventus. He should do the same.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Good point. I somehow forgot about his goal tally in 2017-18.

So Salah, a vastly inferior player to Messi can score 44 in a season while playing in England, but Messi will never get 50 goals. Lol.

It won’t be surprised if our friend here actually thinks that Salah is better than Messi. After all, he plays football at a high level and watches matches at stadiums.

Salah is at his peak, Messi is near the end.

You've never seen Messi or Salah live, I have more than once. You've never played football, so don't understand the game because if you did you wouldn't come up with a daft comparison. Messi is one of the best , more skilful than Salah but not stronger than Salah.

Believe what you like but I don't take a doctor from Pakistan who cant do more than volleys seriously when it comes to football.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION].

Torres wasn’t physical? Quite the opposite. Torres used to be very physical between 2007-2009. Once he found a gap between the defence, hardly anyone could intercept the ball. I can recall two famous instances from the back of my head: his goal against Germany in Euro 2008 final and his famous goal against Man Utd where a strong and physical Vidic wasn’t able to stop Torres.
Yes, unfortunately Torres injury led to his demise. Carragher even admitted that Torres wasn’t the same mentally either after his injury.

Once Torres found a gap between defenders, hardly anyone could intercept the ball because he was too quick, agile and intelligent for them. His change of pace was exceptional.

Vidic would have mauled him in a fight but he couldn’t cope with his movement. After his knee injury, once his pace and agility went down, it was very easy for defenders to get him off the ball and his confidence also went down. People usually blame his decline on the Chelsea move, but that is a misconception.

But coming back to Messi, he isn’t physical at all. Messi is a GOAT and is the most technically gifted player out there, which is why he dominates La Liga, and I’m sure he’d do well in the PL. But I doubt he’d do just as good as he does in the La Liga. Watch any interview from a manager who has played against Barcelona in the UCL, they’ll tell how they went for a physically strong defence/midfield to stop Messi. Mourinho famously insisted to his players in Chelsea to be extra physical towards Messi. Surely no manager would ask his players to put physical pressute on Messi if that was his strength.

Forget Robertson, just see how beautifully Bayern Munich outplayed Messi back in 2013 by playing with a physically strong midfield. Barcelona were left with no answers on how to fully utilize Messi in that game. And I’m sure there’s more instances such as that, but you get my point. I don’t think Messi would be bad in the Premier League, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be able to dominate the PL in the same fashion as he does in La Liga.

You are not getting my point.

I am not saying physicality is his strength. He is no Drogba or Zlatan, but to stay that he is not physical at all is also an exaggeration. You are making him sound like Özil but he clearly isn’t.

He is actually very hard to hack down because defenders usually can’t get anywhere near him and when they do, he manages to stay on his feet in spite of all the pressure.

If bullying him physically was all it took to keep him quiet, he wouldn’t have ripped defenses apart like no one else for 12 years and counting.

You keep giving 1-2 examples, but you conveniently ignore how he has dominated countless physically imposing defenders throughout his career.

Even today if he plays Liverpool 10 times, he will get the better of Van Dijk and Gomez at least 7 times. He knows his way around defenders who are physically stronger than him. A 21 year old Messi beat Ferdinand and Vidic to a header in a Champions League Final because they couldn’t cope with his movement.

Messi will be as prolific in England as he is in Spain. The only reason people think otherwise is because they have seen a player like him in England before.

We can agree to disagree, but I really hope he comes to England even at the age of 33, so the people who overrate PL get a massive reality-check.

PL’s competitiveness is probably the biggest myth in football. We have seen how competitive it is when one team becomes excessively strong, and that is what Barcelona have been for most of the last decade.

 

[Mamoon]

Salah is at his peak, Messi is near the end.

You've never seen Messi or Salah live, I have more than once. You've never played football, so don't understand the game because if you did you wouldn't come up with a daft comparison. Messi is one of the best , more skilful than Salah but not stronger than Salah.

Believe what you like but I don't take a doctor from Pakistan who cant do more than volleys seriously when it comes to football.

Messi today is still better than Salah. Anyway, you are back-tracking now. Initially, you said it is not possible to score 50+ goals in England, and now you are saying that it is not possible for Messi because he is past his prime.

Clearly, you have not been able to counter the examples I provided you. As I said, you can adopt a condescending tone, but in spite of watching matches in stadiums, your understanding of the game is quite low.

Anyone who thinks Messi will not score 40+ goals in England today, and wouldn’t have scored 50+ in his prime clearly doesn’t have a clue.

These are the same people who thought Messi cannot even perform against English sides in Europe before he demolished them.

I really hope he goes to England this summer so that people like you can learn football and what it is like to have the GOAT play in England.

 

[Mamoon]

Messi has 26 goals goals against English teams and all of them against Champions league clubs, i.e. the best teams in England, which means that he hasn’t had the opportunity to fill his boots against the bottom half teams and the relegation fodder.

He has more goals against the ‘traditional’ top 6 Premier League teams than the likes of Rooney and Van Persie.....................even though he has never played in the Premier League.

But, although he can score bags of goals against Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Man United, Liverpool and Spurs, he will somehow struggle to score goals against Norwich, Brighton, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Fulham, Cardiff, Huddersfield etc. etc.

 

[AdamM97]

How many world class teams are exactly in the premier league? This season, only Liverpool has been world class. Man United have been average since 2013, Arsenal since 2006, Chelsea since the first season of Conte, Spurs have never been world class. This season Premier League is just like the French league, where one team is running away with it. But of course, you won't admit that Premier League is a really weak league at the moment, because of the whole narrative by the media that it's the most competitive league in the world. I bet you are one of those who believe that any of the top 6 teams can win the Premier League at the start of the season.

Let me tell you one time. Messi won't have to adapt to anything. Teams will adapt to him. Any team that signs him will built a team around him, so he won't have to do much adapting as the system that he would play in would get the best of him.

How many teams apart from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid(only once in 2013/2014) has won the La Liga in the last 15 years?

Whereas in the PL, frigging Leicester City won the Premier League and at least 4-5 different teams have won the PL in the last 15 years.

Premier League is the most competitive league out there. Not long ago, Liverpool were considered a mid-table league and Man Utd were unstoppable under Fergie. Arsenal and Man U are definitely struggling atm, but they’ll make a comeback very soon.

Liverpool and Man City are dominating the PL, but Chelsea, Spurs, Man Utd and Arsenal will come back stronger, just like Liverpool started doing under Klopp.

 

[AdamM97]

Once Torres found a gap between defenders, hardly anyone could intercept the ball because he was too quick, agile and intelligent for them. His change of pace was exceptional.

Vidic would have mauled him in a fight but he couldn’t cope with his movement. After his knee injury, once his pace and agility went down, it was very easy for defenders to get him off the ball and his confidence also went down. People usually blame his decline on the Chelsea move, but that is a misconception.



You are not getting my point.

I am not saying physicality is his strength. He is no Drogba or Zlatan, but to stay that he is not physical at all is also an exaggeration. You are making him sound like Özil but he clearly isn’t.

He is actually very hard to hack down because defenders usually can’t get anywhere near him and when they do, he manages to stay on his feet in spite of all the pressure.

If bullying him physically was all it took to keep him quiet, he wouldn’t have ripped defenses apart like no one else for 12 years and counting.

You keep giving 1-2 examples, but you conveniently ignore how he has dominated countless physically imposing defenders throughout his career.

Even today if he plays Liverpool 10 times, he will get the better of Van Dijk and Gomez at least 7 times. He knows his way around defenders who are physically stronger than him. A 21 year old Messi beat Ferdinand and Vidic to a header in a Champions League Final because they couldn’t cope with his movement.

Messi will be as prolific in England as he is in Spain. The only reason people think otherwise is because they have seen a player like him in England before.

We can agree to disagree, but I really hope he comes to England even at the age of 33, so the people who overrate PL get a massive reality-check.

PL’s competitiveness is probably the biggest myth in football. We have seen how competitive it is when one team becomes excessively strong, and that is what Barcelona have been for most of the last decade.

PL fans would love to see Messi in the PL. But saying that he’ll dominate the league in the same fashion is a stretch. He’s 33, most teams would be reluctant to change the entire dynamic of their teams to suit Messi’s style of play, and even if they did, other teams would still play their usual English style football against Messi.

You’re clearly underestimating the effect that different leagues have on a player’s performance. There is a reason why players like Coutinho struggle in La Liga but thrives in the PL and Bundesliga due to their similiarities. English, German and other Northern European leagues emphasize physicality, intensity, team-work and strategy a lot, whereas Spanish and Latin American leagues are much more creative and love players with technical skills.

Try play like Messi or Neymar in a U13-U19 league in England or Germany and do lots of skills and showboating and you’ll make your coach livid and he’ll sub you off.

 

[Mamoon]

How many teams apart from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid(only once in 2013/2014) has won the La Liga in the last 15 years?

Whereas in the PL, frigging Leicester City won the Premier League and at least 4-5 different teams have won the PL in the last 15 years.

Premier League is the most competitive league out there. Not long ago, Liverpool were considered a mid-table league and Man Utd were unstoppable under Fergie. Arsenal and Man U are definitely struggling atm, but they’ll make a comeback very soon.

Liverpool and Man City are dominating the PL, but Chelsea, Spurs, Man Utd and Arsenal will come back stronger, just like Liverpool started doing under Klopp.

Competitiveness is not equal to high quality. That’s the fundamental flaw in the argument of the people who try to prove that PL is the toughest league in the world.

The reason why the PL trophy gets passed around like hot potato is because the best PL teams are as good as Barcelona and Madrid.

Leicester would have never won the league in La Liga in the presence of Madrid, Barcelona and even Atletico.

If Madrid and Barcelona were in the PL, the PL would also have been a two horse race. Look at the PL this season or even last season. Liverpool and Man City have become excessively strong and they have made turned the so-called most competitive league in the world into a two horse race.

This season, it’s a one horse race because Liverpool are too strong and City have faltered.

 

[Mamoon]

PL fans would love to see Messi in the PL. But saying that he’ll dominate the league in the same fashion is a stretch. He’s 33, most teams would be reluctant to change the entire dynamic of their teams to suit Messi’s style of play, and even if they did, other teams would still play their usual English style football against Messi.

You’re clearly underestimating the effect that different leagues have on a player’s performance. There is a reason why players like Coutinho struggle in La Liga but thrives in the PL and Bundesliga due to their similiarities. English, German and other Northern European leagues emphasize physicality, intensity, team-work and strategy a lot, whereas Spanish and Latin American leagues are much more creative and love players with technical skills.

Try play like Messi or Neymar in a U13-U19 league in England or Germany and do lots of skills and showboating and you’ll make your coach livid and he’ll sub you off.

Every team in the PL would bend over backwards and change its playing style to maximize the output of Messi, if they could manage to sign him.

Because Messi will take every team up a several notches, more so than any individual player in the world can.

Coutinho didn’t fail in La Liga. He failed in Barcelona because he wasn’t suited to Barcelona’s playing style. He would be excellent for Madrid.

Coutinho and Barcelona were not a good match just like Fabregas and Barcelona weren’t, in spite of his Barcelona DNA.

But neither Coutinho are Fàbregas are good enough for Barcelona to change its tactics and playing style to accommodate them.

If England U-13 gets their hands on talents like Messi and Neymar, they would hype him to the moon.

I would say that you are criminally underestimated how talented and complete Messi is.

He is, by far, the most complete attacker the game of football has ever seen, and he will have no problem adjusting to any league and every team in the world would later it’s playing style to accommodate him.

He is bloody Messi.

 

[AdamM97]

Competitiveness is not equal to high quality. That’s the fundamental flaw in the argument of the people who try to prove that PL is the toughest league in the world.

The reason why the PL trophy gets passed around like hot potato is because the best PL teams are as good as Barcelona and Madrid.

Leicester would have never won the league in La Liga in the presence of Madrid, Barcelona and even Atletico.

If Madrid and Barcelona were in the PL, the PL would also have been a two horse race. Look at the PL this season or even last season. Liverpool and Man City have become excessively strong and they have made turned the so-called most competitive league in the world into a two horse race.

This season, it’s a one horse race because Liverpool are too strong and City have faltered.

Hence why the PL is the most competitive league out there. It allows teams like Leicester to win the PL.

As I said before, La Liga is only relevant because of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Take those two teams away, and it’s just as bad as the French Ligue 1.

 

[AdamM97]

Every team in the PL would bend over backwards and change its playing style to maximize the output of Messi, if they could manage to sign him.

Because Messi will take every team up a several notches, more so than any individual player in the world can.

Coutinho didn’t fail in La Liga. He failed in Barcelona because he wasn’t suited to Barcelona’s playing style. He would be excellent for Madrid.

Coutinho and Barcelona were not a good match just like Fabregas and Barcelona weren’t, in spite of his Barcelona DNA.

But neither Coutinho are Fàbregas are good enough for Barcelona to change its tactics and playing style to accommodate them.

If England U-13 gets their hands on talents like Messi and Neymar, they would hype him to the moon.

I would say that you are criminally underestimated how talented and complete Messi is.

He is, by far, the most complete attacker the game of football has ever seen, and he will have no problem adjusting to any league and every team in the world would later it’s playing style to accommodate him.

He is bloody Messi.

Yeah, I doubt that City would change the entire dynamics of their team for a 33-year old Messi.

Messi adapted to the Barcelona Tiki-Taka style of play early on. A 33-year old Messi wouldn’t be able to keep up with the high-instensity counter-attacks that Premier League players are used to, at least until he adapted to the PL. I still believe Messi would do just fine to be deadly in the league, but he will never dominate the PL like he dominates La Liga, for various reasons.

 

[Mamoon]

Hence why the PL is the most competitive league out there. It allows teams like Leicester to win the PL.

As I said before, La Liga is only relevant because of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Take those two teams away, and it’s just as bad as the French Ligue 1.

PL is competitive not because the weak teams are better, but because the strong teams are weaker.

The notion that mid-table La Liga teams are weaker than mid-table English teams is a misconception. Barcelona and Madrid have made them look weaker.

Barcelona and Madrid have been stronger than England’s strongest teams over the last decade.

 

[Mamoon]

Yeah, I doubt that City would change the entire dynamics of their team for a 33-year old Messi.

Messi adapted to the Barcelona Tiki-Taka style of play early on. A 33-year old Messi wouldn’t be able to keep up with the high-instensity counter-attacks that Premier League players are used to, at least until he adapted to the PL. I still believe Messi would do just fine to be deadly in the league, but he will never dominate the PL like he dominates La Liga, for various reasons.

City doesn’t need to change anything. They have Pep who has the same philosophy today which he had at Barcelona. If Messi comes to City, they will get rid of Sane and play Messi in the same position that he plays at Barcelona nowadays.

Bernardo will drop deeper and takeover the Silva role who is leaving the club.

 

[topspin]

Messi has score 28 goals against English sides in the champions league. If he is scoring against the top teams in England imagine what he will do against the dross at the bottom of the league.

The premier league is ovverated. Look at how easily Liverpool are winning the league. When PSG do the same in France the French league is called farmers league. Yet the premier league poach these teams best players every year. Other than City and Liverpool, the rest of the teams are average.

Precisely this.

I'm sick and tired of the same PL fans who claim Messi needs to "prove himself outside La Liga" and that "he's inferior to Ronaldo because he has only delivered in one league". Like Mamoon said, I hope Messi does come to the PL, so all these claims can be laid to rest.

 

[topspin]

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in 2007-08 for United when he was yet to reach his full peak. In spite of being absolutely brilliant that season, he was still a level below his most devastating version that we saw from 2010 to 2016.

Had he stayed instead of leaving for Madrid in 2009, he would have regularly scored 50+ goals per season for Man United.

Suarez in 2013-14 was the closest any player has been to the level of Messi/Ronaldo in the last 10 years.

In spite of missing the first 9 league matches due to suspension and not playing in Europe, Suarez still managed to score 31 goals.

If he wasn’t suspended and if Liverpool were playing in Europe, he would have easily cross the 50 goal barrier.

The reason why PL fans think no can score 50+ goals in England is because they have never had peak Ronaldo or Messi play in England, who would have scored 50+ goals across competitions year in year out.

These two have taken goal scoring to a completely different level and it is highly doubtful if anyone would ever replicate their strike rate, at least not for the next 30-40 years.

In the last 10 years, the least number of goals that Messi has scored in a season is 41 (2013-14, 15-16).

At the age of 33, he may not break his own goal scoring records, but he will definitely outscore PL’s best goal-scorers like Mane, Salah, Aguero, Kane, Aubameyang, Vardy etc. by a very comfortable margin. None of them are comparable to him.

I appreciate this is slightly off-topic but I must ask who would do you think is superior between Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry?

 

[Mamoon]

I appreciate this is slightly off-topic but I must ask who would do you think is superior between Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry?

Ronaldo has achieved way more and was a better player at his peak, but I think purely on talent Henry was better.

Henry at Highbury with long sleeves, gloves and a yellow Nike ball was peak football for me.

I have never seen so much grace and finesse in another player. In terms of creativity he was better than Ronaldo, but the latter’s drive and competitiveness helped him surpass Henry on other fronts.

 

[topspin]

Ronaldo has achieved way more and was a better player at his peak, but I think purely on talent Henry was better.

Henry at Highbury with long sleeves, gloves and a yellow Nike ball was peak football for me.

I have never seen so much grace and finesse in another player. In terms of creativity he was better than Ronaldo, but the latter’s drive and competitiveness helped him surpass Henry on other fronts.

Well analysed and written.

I prefer Henry because like you said he was more creative and therefore was able to get the best out of those playing around him. Ronaldo was a lot more driven as an individual.

 

[Mamoon]

Well analysed and written.

I prefer Henry because like you said he was more creative and therefore was able to get the best out of those playing around him. Ronaldo was a lot more driven as an individual.

Messi and Ronaldo have taken goal-scoring to an extreme level. Things will be normalized again after their retirement. The likes of Mbappe, Haaland etc. are not going to score 50-60 every season like them.

Messi in 2011-12 was just insane. 72 goals overall and 50 in the league. You can’t do that on Fifa, but yep he would have struggled to score that season against.......QPR, Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, Stoke, Sunderland etc.

 

[PetroDollars]

Scoring against english sides in the CL and then playing in the EPL week in, week out is like comparing a meaty beef burger with a plant based burger and saying its the same thing.

Even though there is only tweo teams competing for the top spot in epl, there is still a big battle for the top 6, the relegation battle is one in itself which no other league contains. La Liga is just a 2 team system with AM competing now and then.

Theres a reason why Ronaldo never scored 50 goals in a EPL season even when he was young.\

Ofcourse had Messi been in the EPL he would have achieve great things but not what he did at Laliga, no one is getting 40+ goals in a epl season, thats just wishful thinking.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Emmanuel Petit doesn't think Lionel Messi could keep up in the Premier League. <a href="https://t.co/mad1qhlt5z">pic.twitter.com/mad1qhlt5z</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1227669952280158208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

Messi unwilling to renew Barca contract: report

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has called off negotiations over renewing his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena Ser on Friday.

The report said Messi and his father Jorge had begun discussing renewing his last deal with the club, which was signed in 2017, but that he no longer wishes to stay at the Camp Nou.

The report added that Messi is angry about leaked media reports that appeared to make him seem responsible for events at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde, and that he is frustrated about the squad's lack of quality.

The Argentine's representatives and Barcelona did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Messi, who turned 33 last month, scored his 700th career goal on Tuesday against Atletico Madrid, but the milestone strike ended in disappointment as Barca drew the game 2-2 in the latest blow to their bid to retain the Spanish title.

Barca trail Real Madrid by four points in the title race with five games remaining after Real beat Getafe 1-0 on Thursday.

Previously known for his shy personality off the pitch, Messi has become more vocal in his criticism of the club in the last year.

In January he hit out at sporting director Eric Abidal, who he said had implied players had led to Valverde being sacked.

In a February interview with newspaper Mundo Deportivo, he declared the team were not good enough to win this season's Champions League.

Then in April he criticised the board for implying players were not willing to accept a paycut to help the team's financial difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1566766/messi-unwilling-to-renew-barca-contract-report

 

[Abdullah719]

Lionel Messi: Why Barcelona captain is becoming increasingly fed up at the Nou Camp

Lionel Messi is fed up.

According to the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the Barcelona captain has broken off contract talks after finally running out of patience with the club because of the constant rumours and allegations that he is one of the prime reasons for unrest around the Nou Camp.

Messi is disillusioned with any number of things emanating from his life at Barcelona at the moment. He is fed up of being accused of running the club, fed up of people saying he hires and fires the coaches, fed up of claims he chooses who should be signed and who should play and fed up with the general direction of the club and the huge mistakes they have made in the transfer market.

Enough is enough and now he has, according to the the radio station's programme El Larguero, told the club he will be leaving at the end of next season.

Spoiler

What is behind this? How likely is it to happen? The whole story needs context.

Claims have been made against Messi that he wanted the club to sign France forward Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid but now no longer wants him there. Untrue.

On a personal level, Griezmann has joined Messi and Luis Suarez, along with their wives, for dinner and their relationship is good, even though Griezmann has yet to find his niche in the side. In any case, there is a conscious effort by both Messi and Suarez to help him adapt.

On the managerial front he has been accused of having got former manager Tata Martino sacked and current manager Quique Setien hired because he liked his style of football. Not true.

As the best paid and number one player at the club, rumours such as these come with the territory and it is indeed true that when any major decisions concerning the playing aspects of the club have to be taken then the star names are always consulted. Of course they are, it is not something specific to Barcelona, and to do otherwise would be negligent.

But clearly there are problems to which finding solutions will be difficult. In particular president Josep Maria Bartomeu has made promises he has failed to keep. "We'll try to get Neymar back," he announced, knowing full well he had already agreed the signing of Griezmann. "We'll sack Ernesto Valverde in order to bring in Xavi," he said, but eventually both the club and the legendary midfielder decided they could not work together at that point.

Since his last renewal, Messi has had a clause in his contract which permits him to leave at the end of the season. Even though he is happy in his familiar surroundings on a personal level - possibly as he has never been before - it keeps the board on its toes.

He wants the team to compete, especially in Europe. And if he brings doubts about his future, it will force everyone to find a solution - namely, being clever in the market and bringing in good players.

Negotiations for a contract renewal had been going well. But performances on the pitch have left the Argentine unhappy and the trust in Setien has been diminishing quickly from a big percentage of the squad.

It all came to the fore after Saturday's 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo, which made the target of winning the league even harder. Big words were exchanged between Setien and some of the biggest names in the team. The manager, disappointed because he couldn't do many of the things he hoped to do when he first arrived, took a gamble. He told the players that things could not continue like that, and that if there was no change, they could easily get rid of him.

It is not described as a resignation announcement, but a way to look for a response.

The response came. Conversations took place between the captains and Setien, and also with Bartomeu, and bridges started being built again. Gerard Pique, one of the captains and a man who always has a nose for good timing, put a tweet out asking for unity among the club and its fans.

But against that backdrop of lack of confidence in the board, at a time when the manager could be replaced, when players have to be signed, when a new contract has to be negotiated, Messi has flexed his muscles and everybody has heard his doubts, even though it has come via a radio station.

There have of course been previous crossroads moments in the past when Messi has come close to leaving the club.

In his early days when he was battling with Spanish bureaucracy and not yet an automatic starter at Barcelona, Inter Milan came close to signing him when they indicated they were in no way fazed by his 150m euros buyout clause and were prepared to triple his salary. The wise words of the then president, Joan Laporta, swung things. Messi, who never really wanted to go, stayed.

The much-publicised tax evasion trials took an enormous toll on both him and his family and also left him close to wanting to leave not just Barcelona, but also Spain. But once everything had been sorted out and he returned to training, he decided to stay, although at that time he could have had the pick of any club in the world, not least Manchester City where Pep Guardiola was about to take over.

And now has come a third crisis and with it a severe shot across the bows of a dithering board, accompanied by a clear message.

After three draws, and despite starting the second phase of the league campaign in the right frame of mind, it soon became abundantly clear that, just as he had suspected earlier on in the campaign, this Barcelona side was not good enough to win the Champions League.

Barcelona have been unable as yet to finalise a deal for the Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, despite the fact he is precisely the type of player they need if they are to continue to compete at the top level. At the club they are optimistic that they can get him.

Football will dictate if a new manager is needed and that might mean forgetting old foes and trying to approach Xavi again. Victor Font, a candidate to be club president in the upcoming elections in 2021, has made no secret of the fact the first thing he would do if elected is install Xavi as coach, whoever happens to be in charge at the time. Xavi would almost certainly prefer to take the job with him at the helm, but football being football, never say never.

While the return of Xavi might see a welcome renewal of the Barcelona style for the team, we will have to see if the old captain will address the deep problems that run in the side, mostly the consequence of a very successful team and generation that is seeing its last days.

Meanwhile Messi will watch it all with a vested interest.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53279422

 

[TrentDevil]

Rona Dhona has started again for the nth time

 

[in_cutter]

Lionel Messi: Why Barcelona captain is becoming increasingly fed up at the Nou Camp

Lionel Messi is fed up.

According to the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the Barcelona captain has broken off contract talks after finally running out of patience with the club because of the constant rumours and allegations that he is one of the prime reasons for unrest around the Nou Camp.

Messi is disillusioned with any number of things emanating from his life at Barcelona at the moment. He is fed up of being accused of running the club, fed up of people saying he hires and fires the coaches, fed up of claims he chooses who should be signed and who should play and fed up with the general direction of the club and the huge mistakes they have made in the transfer market.

Enough is enough and now he has, according to the the radio station's programme El Larguero, told the club he will be leaving at the end of next season.

Spoiler

What is behind this? How likely is it to happen? The whole story needs context.

Claims have been made against Messi that he wanted the club to sign France forward Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid but now no longer wants him there. Untrue.

On a personal level, Griezmann has joined Messi and Luis Suarez, along with their wives, for dinner and their relationship is good, even though Griezmann has yet to find his niche in the side. In any case, there is a conscious effort by both Messi and Suarez to help him adapt.

On the managerial front he has been accused of having got former manager Tata Martino sacked and current manager Quique Setien hired because he liked his style of football. Not true.

As the best paid and number one player at the club, rumours such as these come with the territory and it is indeed true that when any major decisions concerning the playing aspects of the club have to be taken then the star names are always consulted. Of course they are, it is not something specific to Barcelona, and to do otherwise would be negligent.

But clearly there are problems to which finding solutions will be difficult. In particular president Josep Maria Bartomeu has made promises he has failed to keep. "We'll try to get Neymar back," he announced, knowing full well he had already agreed the signing of Griezmann. "We'll sack Ernesto Valverde in order to bring in Xavi," he said, but eventually both the club and the legendary midfielder decided they could not work together at that point.

Since his last renewal, Messi has had a clause in his contract which permits him to leave at the end of the season. Even though he is happy in his familiar surroundings on a personal level - possibly as he has never been before - it keeps the board on its toes.

He wants the team to compete, especially in Europe. And if he brings doubts about his future, it will force everyone to find a solution - namely, being clever in the market and bringing in good players.

Negotiations for a contract renewal had been going well. But performances on the pitch have left the Argentine unhappy and the trust in Setien has been diminishing quickly from a big percentage of the squad.

It all came to the fore after Saturday's 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo, which made the target of winning the league even harder. Big words were exchanged between Setien and some of the biggest names in the team. The manager, disappointed because he couldn't do many of the things he hoped to do when he first arrived, took a gamble. He told the players that things could not continue like that, and that if there was no change, they could easily get rid of him.

It is not described as a resignation announcement, but a way to look for a response.

The response came. Conversations took place between the captains and Setien, and also with Bartomeu, and bridges started being built again. Gerard Pique, one of the captains and a man who always has a nose for good timing, put a tweet out asking for unity among the club and its fans.

But against that backdrop of lack of confidence in the board, at a time when the manager could be replaced, when players have to be signed, when a new contract has to be negotiated, Messi has flexed his muscles and everybody has heard his doubts, even though it has come via a radio station.

There have of course been previous crossroads moments in the past when Messi has come close to leaving the club.

In his early days when he was battling with Spanish bureaucracy and not yet an automatic starter at Barcelona, Inter Milan came close to signing him when they indicated they were in no way fazed by his 150m euros buyout clause and were prepared to triple his salary. The wise words of the then president, Joan Laporta, swung things. Messi, who never really wanted to go, stayed.

The much-publicised tax evasion trials took an enormous toll on both him and his family and also left him close to wanting to leave not just Barcelona, but also Spain. But once everything had been sorted out and he returned to training, he decided to stay, although at that time he could have had the pick of any club in the world, not least Manchester City where Pep Guardiola was about to take over.

And now has come a third crisis and with it a severe shot across the bows of a dithering board, accompanied by a clear message.

After three draws, and despite starting the second phase of the league campaign in the right frame of mind, it soon became abundantly clear that, just as he had suspected earlier on in the campaign, this Barcelona side was not good enough to win the Champions League.

Barcelona have been unable as yet to finalise a deal for the Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, despite the fact he is precisely the type of player they need if they are to continue to compete at the top level. At the club they are optimistic that they can get him.

Football will dictate if a new manager is needed and that might mean forgetting old foes and trying to approach Xavi again. Victor Font, a candidate to be club president in the upcoming elections in 2021, has made no secret of the fact the first thing he would do if elected is install Xavi as coach, whoever happens to be in charge at the time. Xavi would almost certainly prefer to take the job with him at the helm, but football being football, never say never.

While the return of Xavi might see a welcome renewal of the Barcelona style for the team, we will have to see if the old captain will address the deep problems that run in the side, mostly the consequence of a very successful team and generation that is seeing its last days.

Meanwhile Messi will watch it all with a vested interest.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53279422

Should have left the club a few seasons ago. Too loyal imo.

 

[Rana]

Barca might as well off-load him now and make a big fat pay-day from it.

He is still wort £150-200M even at 33

 

[The Viper]

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has told the Spanish giants he wants to leave the club immediately, with Manchester City leading the race for the 33-year-old Argentina forward.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Never happening. He knows the PL is a big risk for his reputation and Serie A clubs can't pay him.

Till Messi is in Europe he will play for Barca. There is no other option.

 

[Mueez]

I don’t think he will leave.

Sad news is Barcelona has contacted Koeman for coaching, which means he will leave the Dutch national team before the EC

 

[KingKhanWC]

I don’t think he will leave.

Sad news is Barcelona has contacted Koeman for coaching, which means he will leave the Dutch national team before the EC

I thought it would be Poch but Koeman played for Barca.

Messi wont move, they will just offer him more money in bonuses and ask his input for the new manager. Barca cant afford to lose Messi atm.

 

[Mueez]

I thought it would be Poch but Koeman played for Barca.

Messi wont move, they will just offer him more money in bonuses and ask his input for the new manager. Barca cant afford to lose Messi atm.

Yep Messi might get some extra bucks and more influence.

I don’t know why but I feel he has a shady character.

Think Koeman will become the new manager. Poch is doing well at Spurs...

 

[KingKhanWC]

Yep Messi might get some extra bucks and more influence.

I don’t know why but I feel he has a shady character.

Think Koeman will become the new manager. Poch is doing well at Spurs...

Messi has too much power at Barca, when he sulks so does the team. Barca's manager hasn't been in the job for even a season but when he wanted to instill new tactics, Messi lead the revolt.

You cannot have a player bigger than the club, even Kenny Dalglish was a GOAT when player/manager but didnt have the power to change the culture of the club.

Poch was sacked long time ago bro, Jose has been in charge. Poch is close mates with the President of Barca so he might still be in the running.

 

[Mueez]

Messi has too much power at Barca, when he sulks so does the team. Barca's manager hasn't been in the job for even a season but when he wanted to instill new tactics, Messi lead the revolt.

You cannot have a player bigger than the club, even Kenny Dalglish was a GOAT when player/manager but didnt have the power to change the culture of the club.

Poch was sacked long time ago bro, Jose has been in charge. Poch is close mates with the President of Barca so he might still be in the running.

Oh yeah my bad. Thought Spurs still had Poch. forgot they have Mourinho at the helm.

Indeed. Messi has had the opportunity to carry his team on his own however he hasn’t been able to do that... think he needs a break.

Barca is morally down. They need to analyze where it has gone wrong. Perhaps inject some new blood in the squad. One Ansu Fati isn’t enough to change the fortunes of the team.

To be honest if I was able to choose between Poch and Koeman - I’d choose for Poch.

Wouldn’t mind him as the Dutch coach however reports are coming that Wenger has contacted the board...

 

[Abdullah719]

Questions surround Messi’s future amid Barcelona chaos

Barcelona will choose a new coach in the coming days, and it may have a new president next year.

The club is also promising wide-ranging and profound structural changes after one of its most humiliating defeats ever the 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the Champions League on Friday.

The one big question that remains is whether it will be able to keep Lionel Messi.

The team’s biggest star for more than a decade has a contract with Barcelona until 2021, but he hasn’t been hiding his dissatisfaction with the club.

Spoiler

Messi has been more outspoken than ever this season, talking about the team’s problems and pointing to poor decisions by club directors. Although he has never really hinted about leaving, his recent actions have raised doubts about his future.

“Football is a game that comes and goes very quickly in your life, so this next two years, where he’s still going to have the power to influence games the way he does, is he going to want to be doing that not really competing for the big titles? I don’t know,” former player Rio Ferdinand said.

Spanish media has reported that negotiations to extend Messi’s contract beyond next June have been on hold since the problems at the club escalated.

One Brazilian outlet, Esporte Interativo, said Messi actually wants to leave now instead of waiting until next year.

Rumours of clubs wanting to sign Messi started to surface immediately after the team’s loss to Bayern, with Pep Guardiola-coached Manchester City reportedly among the front-runners.

Many think the humiliation against Bayern may have been the tipping point for the Argentina great.

Messi looked like he had already given up at halftime, when images showed him sitting at one end of the bench looking down and biting his nails while waiting to go back on the field.

Messi and his teammates had to face furious Barcelona fans who confronted them and criticised the team at the club’s training centre after the squad returned from Portugal.

Messi has been unusually quiet since the loss in Lisbon and hasn’t made any public statements, unlike after the team lost the Spanish league title to Real Madrid a few weeks ago and he came out to openly talk to the media.

Earlier this season, Messi criticised Barcelona directors for some of their decisions. He was especially upset with sports director Eric Abidal after he criticised players’ efforts amid a series of poor results.

He had also said that he didn’t think Barcelona would succeed in the Champions League the way things were at the club.

The club is also facing a difficult financial situation because of the coronavirus pandemic, which could make it harder to negotiate with Messi. Still, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has always said he expects Messi to finish his career at the club, and that Messi wants the same.

The result of next year’s presidential elections will likely play a crucial role in Messi’s decision, and it will also be important whether he is happy with the work of the team’s new coach.

The 33-year-old Messi is among the ageing players within the squad, along with Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Jordi Alba.

The youngsters touted as promising stars include Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig, though it’s too early to know how much they will be able to contribute to the first team in the future.

After the club announced profound changes to the first team, many are wondering what that means for Messi.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1575092/questions-surround-messis-future-amid-barcelona-chaos

 

[shaz619]

He should after single handedly spearheading the greatest humiliation in Barca history, mentally weak midget couldn't do nothing in internationals when it mattered either. King of soft performances, somebody get him a teddy