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A huge bomb was dropped upon the football world when Barcelona announced yesterday that they won't be able to keep hold of Lionel Messi, their prized asset due to the regulations imposed by La Liga on player registration.
After months of uncertainty, it had been suggested that Barcelona were close to tying the veteran down to a new contract. Both parties had agreed to it but had to wait to conclude the deal given the restrictions that have been put in place.
However, Barcelona's current salary cap is significantly higher than what is permitted. The club had been asked to cut down €187m in wages which they have failed to do. Despite listing players such as Samuel Umtiti, Philippe Coutinho and Martin Braithwaite up for sale, the Barcelona board haven't been able to find buyers for them. And that has left them with no choice.
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Club president Joan Laporta confirmed at a press conference that the fair play regulations in place meant they couldn't fit in the first contract that had been agreed by the club with Lionel Messi.
Barcelona releasing Lionel Messi has alerted big spenders
Clubs across Europe have been alerted to the situation regarding Lionel Messi. In spite of his advancing years, the Argentine still remains one of the legends of the game. And it is quite natural that there would be no lack of interest in securing his services.
Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs that have expressed the most interest. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have also been linked with him.
Lionel Messi's former club Barcelona, on the other hand, are not entirely out of the race to re-sign Lionel Messi, though they do have to clear the complications before making him sign over the dotted lines.
With La Liga having already lost one of their most attractive players in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus back in 2018, it would be a huge blow to their global popularity if they were to let yet another of their icons leave.
Here we take a look at three reasons why La Liga should tweak the rules in order to allow Barcelona to accommodate Lionel Messi within their wage bill.
#3 Messi's departure could be major blow to La Liga's hopes in Champions League
Since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, Spanish teams have failed to find success in Europe's premier competition. The last three editions of the competition have been won by English and German teams.
Lionel Messi's departure for another league could harm La Liga's chances of getting back to their best in Europe even further.
Despite Ronald Koeman bringing in as many as five new players, there is hardly anyone in the current team that can match his standards and that is while giving all due respect to their talents.
La Liga should obviously consider not just the revenue Barcelona would earn by winning the competition but also the attention it would generate, which in turn could increase the popularity of the Spanish league worldwide.
If La Liga fail to act quickly, they could risk slipping further away from Europe's elite leagues.
#2 Losing TV rights and incurring heavy financial losses if Lionel Messi leaves
Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona might adversely affect TV broadcaster rights. La Liga recently struck a deal with private equity firm CVC, selling 10 per cent of its business to the company. The TV broadcasting rights, though, are still held by the governing body. It earns billions of dollars every year by selling TV rights to different broadcasters around the world.
The Viacom18 Media Group, for example, earned the rights to broadcast matches in India for the next three years. In the United States, ESPN+ bought the rights for the next eight years for a resounding amount of US$1.4bn.
At the end of the 2019/20 season Barcelona topped the television rights ranking, earning approximately €165m from it.
If the TV rights come up for review in the next couple of years, Lionel Messi's departure from La Liga will certainly impact those revenues.
What would make things worse is Lionel Messi finding a new home in France after leaving Barcelona. Ligue One, with the presence of Neymar, is already attracting a lot of investors.
Amazon Prime recently struck a deal with the governing body there, by virtue of which they will have the right to broadcast 302 matches live per season starting in the middle of August.
What a big boost it would be for Ligue 1 to have someone like Lionel Messi taking to the pitch on a regular basis at PSG next season.
#1 La Liga and Barcelona losing the appeal among world-class players
La Liga once developed a reputation for being the most lucrative destination for players. It used to be a dream of every budding star to play for a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona.
That concept is changing rapidly with the leagues in England, Italy and France gaining in popularity. Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, with all the money they are spending in the transfer market right now, are attracting the world's top talents.
If La Liga fail to keep hold of top players such as Lionel Messi, they will lose their lure even more in the coming days.
Top talents such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe would prefer to play elsewhere rather than in Spain.
And therefore, for the sake of their sustainability, it is important that La Liga make some necessary changes to their rules in order to allow Barcelona to accommodate Lionel Messi.
Football fans know well that this saga is far from over. Instincts tell you that there will be a twist in the tale and Barcelona might not have lost the race yet. Fans will have to eagerly wait to see where Lionel Messi ends up come the 1st of September when the transfer window shuts.
