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#3 Lack of a defined project at Barcelona
Perhaps the most understated but vital factor in the breakdown of his relations with Barcelona is that the absence of a visionary project morally drained Lionel Messi. After enjoying unparalleled dominance under Pep Guardiola, Barca have witnessed a steep decline in their on-field performances.
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The 2009 sextuple-winning year saw one of the best sides ever assembled in the history of football. However, a club can only stay at the top if it respects time. After literally winning everything, Barcelona stalled for a long while, heavily relying on proven and aging players like Andres Iniesta and the aforementioned Lionel Messi, rather than planning for the future.
In variance, Bayern Munich were able to successfully evolve from the Robben-Ribery era to construct an effective squad, capable enough to compete at the top-most level for years to come. They brought in promising players and incorporated them into the team all the while phasing out older players who were getting past their primes. An astute business sense, combined with a planned strategy to counter a turbulent transitional period, meant that the Bavarians maintained a constant trajectory instead of indulging themselves in a power struggle.
Barcelona, who could be considered a club with a bigger stature than their German counterparts, are in financial ruins in sharp contrast. In Lionel Messi, the Spanish giants had the best player of all time on their books. Yet, they failed to structure a long and viable project for the future, resulting in their eventual downfall.
#2 Bartomeu's shady dealings that irked Lionel Messi
At the helm of everything that has been wrong with the historic club, former president Josep Bartomeu can be credited for single-handedly driving out Lionel Messi from Barcelona. The 58-year-old politician's shady past has sprung into the limelight, with the mastermind behind 'Barcagate' finally getting exposed.
Barcelona were accused of secretly hiring a PR company called I3 Ventures to structure their online presence. These allegations were initially denied by the club. Under the cloak of social media monitoring, the Spanish firm was tasked with building a more positive image of the then-president Bartomeu, all the while discrediting multiple Barca legends, including club icons Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Xavi, and many more.
Notoriously labeled as 'Barcagate', the scandal led to a police investigation and the ensuing arrest of Bartomeu. More importantly, this incident completely abolished whatever remaining faith Lionel Messi had in the board, further distancing him from the club.
#1 Prolonged financial mismanagement
Gone are the days of basing the squad around academy graduates, which ironically was the most successful era in Barcelona's history. Since 2014, the Catalan club have focussed more on signing established players for exorbitant fees in place of promoting in-house talents to bolster their reign at the top. Not only has this inane strategy failed catastrophically, but the subsequent financial implications have also crippled the club's current functioning.
Barcelona are drowning in debt, believed to be well over €1.2b with a huge chunk of it to be paid in the short-term. In addition, the Spanish giants infamously boast the highest wage bill for a sporting team on this planet. According to La Liga's financial measures, introduced in 2013, a team can only spend a controlled amount of money on their staff, in accordance with their annual income.
As a result, Barcelona can only reinvest 25% of what they earn, with their wage cap exceeding the stipulated limit by 40%. Hence, even after agreeing to substantial wage cuts with multiple players, the Catalans are neither at the capacity to pay Lionel Messi's salary nor register their newly signed players.
Years of financial mismanagement, coupled with the devastating pandemic that has economically drained certain clubs, has brought the biggest footballing institution in the world to their bare knees. Therefore, even with a verbal agreement in place, Barcelona were left with no choice other than to part ways with Lionel Messi.
