Lionel Messi revealed that he had interest from a top English club when it became clear that he would be leaving Barcelona. He also opened up on why he chose PSG.
Even before Lionel Messi became available many top clubs had been formulating a plan that would allow them to sign the mercurial Argentine. The problems at Barcelona meant that it was a matter of when and not if Messi would leave.
It was hard to conceive that Messi would not be ending his career at Barcelona, worse still was thea of the famous number 10 in another jersey besides that of the Catalan club.
Perhaps, this is a good time to knock the Catalan club for the poor business it did that denied La Liga the luxuries and entertainment that Messi provides.
For many years, it was clear that the business model that Sandro Rosell and later Josep Bartomeu were running at the Nou Camp was not sustainable. They racked up huge debts, incurred heavy salaries and inadvertently ran the club into a position where a public company would have filed for bankruptcy. It is a miracle that the club is still running, but within the dark clouds that Bartomeu created, it has afforded us the chance to see Messi in another jersey. Formerly unthinkable, but made possible by Bartomeu.
Messi interest from abroad
If there is one club that Messi will not play for, it would be Real Madrid. Arch-rivals and Barcelona foe, Real Madrid never featured in the running for Leo’s signature. One can imagine that the thought of having Messi at the Santiago Bernabeu must have appealed to Florentino Perez, but there are lines one doesn’t cross.
Speaking with France Football, Messi confessed that he received contact from several clubs for his services. The Argentine admitted that amid the interest from several clubs for his signature, he was wowed by the PSG project.
The 34-year-old also said two clubs led the race for his signature - French champions PSG and Champions League winners Chelsea.
He, however, claims that he was impressed by what the Parisian club was cooking and decided to align with their project.
Efforts to stay at Barca
Messi left Barcelona in August after 21 years of service to the club. According to him, he didn’t anticipate leaving the club, but conditions forced him to leave. Barcelona had made efforts to keep Messi, but their financial problems were an inhibition to making it a reality.
To remain at the Nou Camp, Messi offered a pay cut to the tune of 50%, but it wasn’t enough for Barca to afford him. A mind-boggling debt at over £1 billion and a staggering salary weight put paid to that ambition. In the end, the Argentine ended up at PSG.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
