Joan Laporta (Barca president) is in the midst of a press conference explaining how this mess has happened. He just said that, even without Messi, Barca are 4 times over the salary limit. Absolute madness.
Fair play to La Liga for actually enforcing the rules (if they do).
Incredible mismanagement.
The irony is that without Messi their income levels will drop considerably which fucks them even more.
Hopefully Atlético Madrid can capitalise on this chaos again this season. Every year they give a proper challenge to Barcelona and Real Madrid is good for Spanish football.
Hopefully Atlético Madrid can capitalise on this chaos again this season. Every year they give a proper challenge to Barcelona and Real Madrid is good for Spanish football.
I don't think we'll see Barcelona challenging for the title for a while as by the sounds of it this mess could take years to fix. Players like Umtiti, Coutinho and Pjanic on ridiculous wages they want rid of but can't, and others like Alba, Pique and Busquets coming to the end of their careers and will need replacing.
If La Liga don't budge on the salary cap then without Messi carrying them i can see them being like United post-Fergie and Arsenal post-Wenger, they could take a few years to sort things out.
That would be neat. Messi's wages have done bad things to the economy at FC Barcelona and I would enjoy watching him trying to drain the bank at City. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. I did note in passing that part of the problem at Barça is not just Messi's sky high wages, but a bunch of others (Griezmann being one) who they can't get off their books.
That would be neat. Messi's wages have done bad things to the economy at FC Barcelona and I would enjoy watching him trying to drain the bank at City. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. I did note in passing that part of the problem at Barça is not just Messi's sky high wages, but a bunch of others (Griezmann being one) who they can't get off their books.
I would imagine Messi leaving will actually have a detrimental effect on the economy at Barca!
Hopefully Atlético Madrid can capitalise on this chaos again this season. Every year they give a proper challenge to Barcelona and Real Madrid is good for Spanish football.
I don't think we'll see Barcelona challenging for the title for a while as by the sounds of it this mess could take years to fix. Players like Umtiti, Coutinho and Pjanic on ridiculous wages they want rid of but can't, and others like Alba, Pique and Busquets coming to the end of their careers and will need replacing.
If La Liga don't budge on the salary cap then without Messi carrying them i can see them being like United post-Fergie and Arsenal post-Wenger, they could take a few years to sort things out.
Always have found it strange that the best clubs side of different era always contain a strong nucleus of home grown talents. The great Barca team had Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Busquets and Messi. Could you imagine how much they would have had to spend to sign all of those players.United had the Class of 92 etc.
Barca have some good young players, but these will probably get picked up by the bigger sides. Imagine it will be a good 5/10 years before we see them at the top table of Europe again.
Messi's exit has taken Barcelona's wage bill is down from 110% of their income to 95%.
The wages Barca and Real have been paying in recent years were always going to end in financial disaster. 95% is still a crazy number, when you look at their squad
Messi's exit has taken Barcelona's wage bill is down from 110% of their income to 95%.
The wages Barca and Real have been paying in recent years were always going to end in financial disaster. 95% is still a crazy number, when you look at their squad
The problem though is that's 95% of their current income. But that income is going to drop a lot post-Messi. Sponsors will pay less, shirt sales will drop, tourists won't flock to the Nou Camp to watch Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite, plus of course the team will be less successful meaning a drop off in ticket sales and CL money.
In 19/20 they brought in €855m and apparently estimates predict Messi was responsible for around €150-200m euros of that income. So he brought in far far more than the €1m a week he was said to earn.
So yes they will save 50m+ a year on his wages, but they'll lose 3-4 times that in income.
Hopefully Atlético Madrid can capitalise on this chaos again this season. Every year they give a proper challenge to Barcelona and Real Madrid is good for Spanish football.
I don't think we'll see Barcelona challenging for the title for a while as by the sounds of it this mess could take years to fix. Players like Umtiti, Coutinho and Pjanic on ridiculous wages they want rid of but can't, and others like Alba, Pique and Busquets coming to the end of their careers and will need replacing.
If La Liga don't budge on the salary cap then without Messi carrying them i can see them being like United post-Fergie and Arsenal post-Wenger, they could take a few years to sort things out.
Always have found it strange that the best clubs side of different era always contain a strong nucleus of home grown talents. The great Barca team had Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pique, Busquets and Messi. Could you imagine how much they would have had to spend to sign all of those players.United had the Class of 92 etc.
Barca have some good young players, but these will probably get picked up by the bigger sides. Imagine it will be a good 5/10 years before we see them at the top table of Europe again.
They need to keep the youngsters and slowly get rid of the likes of Griezmann, Coutinho etc when they can.
Pedri, De Jong and Fati are very promising and I'd include Araujo, Garcia and Puig in those they need to build around.
Yeah but would he really want to move to Manchester? I mean, it's a bit grim compared to Barcelona. Plus I hear Messi is quite into mock Tuder houses and his mate Makienok who lived in Petts wood when he was with us told him about the area. Though knowing our luck messi will probably sign for that Surrey lot as they have the same shirts as Barcelona.
Next step in the pressure on La Liga attempt? "I really want to stay, but those meanies at La Liga...."
'I wanted to say a proper 'goodbye' to my friends and supporters here at Camp Nou, before flying off to start my first full week's training at Sparrows Lane...'
Next step in the pressure on La Liga attempt? "I really want to stay, but those meanies at La Liga...."
'I wanted to say a proper 'goodbye' to my friends and supporters here at Camp Nou, before flying off to start my first full week's training at Sparrows Lane...'
Adkins: Lionel, put a gosh darn smile on your face, you're now playing for the greatest club in the world you absolute melt. New Eltham is what it's all about you absolute misery.
Obviously not much use to anyone who can't understand Spanish but it'll be interesting to see how many viewers his goodbye press conference gets. Starts at 11am UK time and is being live streamed here:
Isn't this just sort of all bullshit now though? Messi is 34 years old and he's worth nearly £300 million. His most recent contract was worth £470 million across the four years. I can understand him leaving because he wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth, but the waterworks and the narrative that he's been forced out of Barcelona is a bit daft. If he really, really wanted to stay couldn't he just sign a deal for say £50,000 a week, take home £2.6m for the year and sit on the massive piles of money he already has for the rest of his life?
This man is the reason why I love football. He is the reason I'm a Charlton fan. Not growing up in a football family and watching Messi play inspired me to watch football.
People saying he should play for free is just ludicrous and even if he did due the circumstances Barcelona find themselves in he still wouldn't be registered.
For me anyway it was hard watching Messi earlier, and has made me choke a little.
Isn't this just sort of all bullshit now though? Messi is 34 years old and he's worth nearly £300 million. His most recent contract was worth £470 million across the four years. I can understand him leaving because he wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth, but the waterworks and the narrative that he's been forced out of Barcelona is a bit daft. If he really, really wanted to stay couldn't he just sign a deal for say £50,000 a week, take home £2.6m for the year and sit on the massive piles of money he already has for the rest of his life?
They can't sign him even for free as they are still above their wage limit
Isn't this just sort of all bullshit now though? Messi is 34 years old and he's worth nearly £300 million. His most recent contract was worth £470 million across the four years. I can understand him leaving because he wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth, but the waterworks and the narrative that he's been forced out of Barcelona is a bit daft. If he really, really wanted to stay couldn't he just sign a deal for say £50,000 a week, take home £2.6m for the year and sit on the massive piles of money he already has for the rest of his life?
And his own last contract is half the reason why they can't now afford to keep him.
Isn't this just sort of all bullshit now though? Messi is 34 years old and he's worth nearly £300 million. His most recent contract was worth £470 million across the four years. I can understand him leaving because he wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth, but the waterworks and the narrative that he's been forced out of Barcelona is a bit daft. If he really, really wanted to stay couldn't he just sign a deal for say £50,000 a week, take home £2.6m for the year and sit on the massive piles of money he already has for the rest of his life?
I think you're missing the point. They are still a long long way over the salary cap limit. Messi could've said he'll sign for £1 but they can't register him.
Also he's surely entitled to be a bit emotional, he's basically saying goodbye to a place he's spent 21 years at. Journalists, his team mates and his family were all there giving him a standing ovation.
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The irony is that without Messi their income levels will drop considerably which fucks them even more.
If La Liga don't budge on the salary cap then without Messi carrying them i can see them being like United post-Fergie and Arsenal post-Wenger, they could take a few years to sort things out.
I did note in passing that part of the problem at Barça is not just Messi's sky high wages, but a bunch of others (Griezmann being one) who they can't get off their books.
Barca have some good young players, but these will probably get picked up by the bigger sides. Imagine it will be a good 5/10 years before we see them at the top table of Europe again.
It will severely piss off Ronaldo. Especially if they end up winning trophies.
Take the number 7 shirt!
Messi's exit has taken Barcelona's wage bill is down from 110% of their income to 95%.
The wages Barca and Real have been paying in recent years were always going to end in financial disaster. 95% is still a crazy number, when you look at their squad
In 19/20 they brought in €855m and apparently estimates predict Messi was responsible for around €150-200m euros of that income. So he brought in far far more than the €1m a week he was said to earn.
So yes they will save 50m+ a year on his wages, but they'll lose 3-4 times that in income.
Pedri, De Jong and Fati are very promising and I'd include Araujo, Garcia and Puig in those they need to build around.
Much easier said than done of course!
Adkins: Lionel, put a gosh darn smile on your face, you're now playing for the greatest club in the world you absolute melt.
New Eltham is what it's all about you absolute misery.
People saying he should play for free is just ludicrous and even if he did due the circumstances Barcelona find themselves in he still wouldn't be registered.
For me anyway it was hard watching Messi earlier, and has made me choke a little.
Also he's surely entitled to be a bit emotional, he's basically saying goodbye to a place he's spent 21 years at. Journalists, his team mates and his family were all there giving him a standing ovation.