Official: Lionel Messi leaving Barca after 20 years at the club

Pretty dire stuff.

One of the journalists asked him a very good question. In essence, he asked him if the announcement of Messi leaving is just Barça's way to put pressure on Tebas to increase the salary limit and whether or not the situation can be fixed by selling players on big wages like Coutinho, Umtiti, Grizzy and Dembélé.

Laporta responded with: We're at the limit, even without Leo we don't have a margin. The ratio is 4:1, for every 25 million we bring in we have to release 100.

He also said something very important at the beginning of the press conference: First I would l like to say that the inheritance that we have received is awful, Is dreadful. The salary mass is 110 per cent  of the income of the club, we don't have any margin in terms of salary.

The rules and regulations of the Spanish LaLiga is regulated by a financial fair play. We don't have any margin.

Like I said, it's a blessing in disguise for Barça, he had to go. Also Bartomeu truly fucked them over. My god what an incompetent!

The Demon of Carthage wrote:

Laporta responded with: We're at the limit, even without Leo we don't have a margin. The ratio is 4:1, for every 25 million we bring in we have to release 100.

I listened to the conference, this was confusing - not sure if it was lost in translation. But if this is the case then what the actual fuck, just how badly fucked are Barca's finances?? Thats some numpty shit

https://twitter.com/elchiringuitoen?lang=en

This is god tier TV. Haven't seen television so good since Breaking Bad and Mad Men stopped airing in AMC.

M99 wrote:https://twitter.com/elchiringuitoen?lang=en

This is god tier TV. Haven't seen television so good since Breaking Bad and Mad Men stopped airing in AMC.

This is like a Ryan Trescartin film or some other cutting edge art stuff

Dest and Dembele right flank all season longpic.twitter.com/1fgtvMkD8S

— AV_27 (@av_bagged) August 6, 2021

Doc wrote:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:It's not messi's contract that brought  barca down.  It's 500m + mega wages on coutinho, dembele and griezmann

Messi's wages definitely had a part to play but I would never fault Lionel. He demanded and Barca gave it to him and correct me if I'm wrong, he got a renewal every year or every other year for a while.

If you giving me more money every time I ask, I'm gonna milk it for what it is worth.

With that being said, I hilariously disagree with Tito immensely on the topic of underpaid/overpaid. The financial health of a sporting institution is extremely vital for the future success of said establishment and a club needs to make sure their wage structure is manageable. So I would have, at some point, told Messi no.

All in all, Barcelona would be annoyingly fine and those that supported Barcelona because of Messi would find another club to leech on.

i get ure point, but having messi therebrings massive revenue to that club. i seriously doubt that messi was making more than he was bringing to them as far as wages alone. if i'm bringing in so much dollars into ure organization then damn it, i should be compensated accordingly. the only time my wage shud be an issue is if we discuss that hey we cant pay u this because we need funds to pay player y that, in order to help us win. that's the only room for compromise

there's a lot more to this than what that man makes. barca's not paying him 200 million a year; his salary is between 500 to 700k per week, thats like thirty something mill a year, u think barca isnt recouping that and then some? the question is what are they doing with all that money, and what has been added to his contract with all these clauses to see him make 600plus mill a year, when his wages  amount to forty something mill?

not to mention the moneys theyve spent on some of these dudes theyve signed. sports is the closest thing we have to a meritocracy, if their board gets mad over messi's wages, he got every right to say dembele's injured half the time and look what he making, coutinho cant shoot the ball to hit a rhyno from 2 feet away and he's earning good money. if i'm messi for the work im putting in, many dudes on that squad are earning more in terms of salary

there's salary vs the contract....for me the salary no question he has more than earned that and shud earn even more. the contract is skewed , its like the neymar deal, lots of figures and numbers we dont know what they constitute....and theyve spent on dudes who arent bringing that kind of revenue that the spent moneys would suggest......hell, david beckham alone got us a good market in asia.....what have all those barca dudes done on or off the pitch ? and messi wasnt even signed for 2 million euros, let alone 120.....there's mismanagement of funds somewhere. once again, i'll welcome messi to madrid if he wants, we'll get rid of some players and give him their money asap lol

Barca fans outside camp nou blaming Perez, is that sportsczy?

Imagine running your club so bad that you cannot afford to keep the best player in the world.

Told my Primary School teacher i would reach Messi’s level of greatness and today me and that midget are both unemployed pic.twitter.com/3AWYQujDx9

— Marco (@ftblShush) August 5, 2021

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Casciavit wrote:Even though we have seen it coming for the last year kind of I'm still kind of speechless. Wow.

I feel the same. It feels like something that wouldn't happen. Weird, historic, upheaving

Him leaving through the back door doesn't sit right with me. No crowd, no goodbye interview, nothing. He's just going to pop up in Paris.

Couldn't care less about goodbyes or interviews from him to Barça or their fans he doesnt owe them a thing as it is and plus he is dreadfully boring to hear.

All I care about is Sportczy admitting that he is creaming his pants at this imminent move to PSG.

Casciavit wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Casciavit wrote:Even though we have seen it coming for the last year kind of I'm still kind of speechless. Wow.

I feel the same. It feels like something that wouldn't happen. Weird, historic, upheaving

Him leaving through the back door doesn't sit right with me. No crowd, no goodbye interview, nothing. He's just going to pop up in Paris.

And losing two Clasico's in a row. Perfect send off for Harmonica.

Arquitecto wrote:Couldn't care less about goodbyes or interviews from him to Barça or their fans he doesnt owe them a thing as it is and plus he is dreadfully boring to hear.

All I care about is Sportczy admitting that he is creaming his pants at this imminent move to PSG.

I am... because I may get to see Messi play and not hate him for once ffs.

He'll be playing for your most hated rival. Again.

Doc wrote:He'll be playing for your most hated rival. Again.

OM hasn't been a rival to PSG since 2011.  Not really.

Besides, the only reason Lyon, OM, Lille and Monaco try to spend any money is to try and somehow compete with PSG.  Also, imagine the league revenues if PSG wasn't there.  

So PSG is a net positive to the league and I like them because, otherwise, Ligue 1 would actually be far worse than it is right now.  Lille this past season, Montpellier and Monaco showed you can beat PSG despite their talent... BUT you need to spend some money.  The presence of PSG has created a hard floor for those clubs thank god.

I can't imagine the utter shit we would have become without this floor.  We were well on our way frankly.  Ligue was being raided earlier and earlier. There was little to no hope to increase revenue. With PSG in the league, there is. I can see Ligue 1 clubs becoming more attractive investment targets when you have players of such class, and with such exposure, in the league.

You know, following Ligue 1 (well, genuinely trying to) and for the past 2-3 seasons, Marseille vs PSG has been very test matches. As a matter of fact, didn't Marseille celebrate PSG losing the league?!

It is not an historic rival like, let's say, Juve Inter or Pool Utd but Marseille fans, from my POV, have no love for PSG. None whatsoever.

But I suppose it's great for Ligue 1 by association because the only club I see this is benefiting is PSG. Still not seeing a trickle down effect but I suppose you guys would know.

Media deal will be much larger with Messi in the league.  Been a mess as mediapro defaulted due to covid.  Amazon has picked up games for cheap THIS SEASON.  Only 1 year.

So Ligue 1 owns all of it media rights at the end of this season and can negotiate a new one.  Every team in Ligue 1 will benefit immensely.  You can't just buy PSG games; you have to buy the whole thing... but I am sure people are going to pay a fortune to see Messi and Neymar regardless of the rest of the league.

Timing really could not be better.

Simply put:
Leo #Messi beat the game. pic.twitter.com/4FXVT8gdo2

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 7, 2021

Laporta said "Aguero helped messi to stay". So he brought Aguero to convince messi to stay
It means Messi wanted to go. He wanted to win big trophies. But after winning copa america he fulfilled one of his dreams and with happy mood he decided to stay and spend his two years and then retire.

Now he has to adapt to new team mates, new enviroment. At this age it was not needed. He won his copa america and 7th ballon dor was on the way. It was time to retire.
What he is going to do in PSG? I dont think he cares about CL anymore. Take away copa america and 7th ballon dor he would care. but now i dont think so

What he will gain in PSG? more money, stat padding and more chance to win CL. What he would gain in Barca? it was just his home. He chose home but things changed. I still dont know which was better for him, its just 50/50 for me

Well Barca is no option either way, because they don't have them few dollars. Messi couldn't play even free I don't think.

the biggest F up is that they could have sold this dude last year and as such relieve themselves off wages and make at the very least 100 million on top if not more......i wish bartomeu aka bart simpson could somehow become president of barca again....such a great dude. btw i take it harmonica and a lot of the barca cohorts will be taking their "talents" to the french capital?

halamadrid2 wrote:Messi contract will run to 2023. Not sure anyone will want to commit to long term deal when he's signed for 2 seasons

3 years contract with PSG or until 2024. Neymar just renewed until 2025.

Barcelona aren't receiving 1 penny for the GOAT, quite unbelievable