Lionel Messi's next destination: A Breakdown

by Bhavika Chandwani

The unimaginable has occurred, Lionel Messi is going from Barcelona!

Messi has been a part of the Catalan club's fabric since he was 12 years old, and his contributions have been vital to their success over the previous 15 years.

However, all good things must come to an end, and considering the volatile character of the previous 18 months, witnessing Messi play for another club is exactly in keeping with the strange 2020/2021 season.

But why is he leaving? Ever thought?

Although both the player and the club agreed to a five-year contract extension, La Liga's wage cap restrictions prevent the new contract from being inked. Messi's previous contract came to an end earlier this summer.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta stated on Friday that if Messi had been retained, the club would have spent 110% of its yearly income on player pay, even though he had agreed to a five-year contract at a substantially lower fee. Barca might have kept their best player if they had agreed to La Liga's planned sale of a 10% interest in the tournament to private equity firm CVC, but they have refused to do so.

This is the most recent episode in a drama that began a year ago when Messi announced his desire to quit the only club he had ever played for. Despite his eventual decision not to take Barcelona to court to get out of the final year of his contract, his contractual issue was never entirely resolved. Although it appeared that Laporta's return to Barcelona as the president made it more probable that Messi would stay, the specifics were never fully sorted out, and it now appears that La Liga rules are still standing within the way.

As the club prepared to take legal action, Messi, Barca's all-time leading scorer and appearance maker opted to stay for the last year.

Messi, who signed his first contract with Barcelona on a napkin when he was 13 years old has been a free agent since June 30, when his last deal expired after 788 games with the club.

Last season was a relative disappointment for the club, as they only won the Spanish Cup and were eliminated from the Champions League within the last 16 for the primary time since 2015.

Laporta was quick to criticize his predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu for the club's financial woes, revealing that Barcelona is on track to lose over $600 million in the 2020-21 season. When asked if Barca and Messi might pull themselves back from the brink, Laporta emphasized that he didn't want to provide any "false optimism," even if he admitted that the No.10's 21-year tenure in Catalonia is over.