Lionel Messi’s move to PSG in the summer of 2021 shocked the football world since, not so long ago, most people believed he would play his whole career for Barcelona.
It was a decision he obviously didn’t want to make, as seen by the Argentine’s sobs during his goodbye press conference.
It goes without saying that Barcelona didn’t want to lose him either, considering he is probably the best player in history and was unquestionably their star player at the time.
What caused the player and the club to part ways, then?
Lionel Messi left Barcelona for what reasons?
Messi left Barcelona because, to put it simply, the team was out of money to renew his contract.
He became a free agent in the summer of 2021, but it was widely anticipated that he would soon sign a new contract with the La Liga team. That, however, changed as the club’s financial issues became apparent.
La Liga regulations limit how much of a club’s earnings may be used to sign players and pay their salaries, and the global epidemic had substantially reduced Barça’s revenue.
Additionally, they had recently not exactly been fiscally responsible on the transfer market, spending astronomical sums of money on players and paying enormous salaries to both new and veteran team members.
As a result, they entered the summer window of 2021 needing to reduce their wage bill by a considerable amount to ensure they could offer Messi a new deal without exceeding the league’s salary cap.
Even though the player reportedly agreed to pay half of his salary, they ultimately failed to do so, and he was forced to leave. PSG then took advantage of the situation.
Will Lionel Messi join Barcelona again?
Nearly two years later, there is still speculation of Messi making a dramatic comeback to his old team, and everything are starting to go in that direction.
In the end, his relationship with PSG was one of convenience, but it hasn’t turned out to be a very pleasant one, since the player hasn’t been able to bring the club the Champions League glory it had hoped for and some supporters aren’t thrilled with his attitude, even recently booing him.
He may not choose to extend his contract at the end of this campaign, and if he does not, Barcelona appears to be his most likely option.
According to insiders who spoke to 90min, both Messi and Xavi’s clubs are very interested in getting back together, increasing the likelihood of a reunion.
Messi has offers on the table from Inter Miami, controlled by David Beckham, and Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, but a return to Camp Nou appears to be the most likely scenario.
