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Lionel Messi and Barcelona fans all around the world had a rude awakening on Thursday (June 8) when several media outlets reported that the Argentina great decided to join Inter Miami in the MLS.
Accusations were hurled at Barcelona president Joan Laporta who had allegedly once again falsely promised the fans into believing that the Paris Saint-Germain attacker was due to arrive at the Camp Nou in the summer.
It seemed like a repeat of the saga from two years ago when a teary-eyed Messi bade goodbye to a club he had been involved in since he was 12. However, this time Messi ensured that he had his fate in his own hands.
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Rather than be betrayed at the last minute by a financially destabilised Barcelona, Messi chose to move to the United States. The decision seemed more logical, as he already owned an apartment in Miami from his Blaugrana days.
This recent development in Messi’s club career may not be ideal for La Liga fan,s as everyone is still grappling with the new reality of seeing both him and Cristiano Ronaldo away from elite European football. However, fans of the Argentina national team have more than enough reason to be happy.
Messi’s stressful final years in Barcelona
Lionel Messi has been playing football at an elite level for more than a decade, a feat that was once thought to be nearly impossible. Only Cristiano Ronaldo comes close to what Messi has been doing over his career. It takes an enormous amount of physical and mental toil to perform at an elite level week in and week out.
Over the last three years, though, there has been a shift in Messi’s mentality. At Barcelona, he was a close witness to the mismanagement of the club by Josep Maria Bartomeu and his associates. During this time, Messi did everything in his power to impcat games with individual brilliance.
Be it the famous last-minute strike against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu in 2017 or the two goals against Sevilla after coming off the bench, Messi had been at his mesmerising best. However, Barcelona as an institution was going through some of their darkest moments in recent history.
Painful consecutive losses against AS Roma, Liverpool, Bayern Munich (8-2) and PSG in the Champions League shattered the myth of Barcelona being a top European club. It seemed the club was in turmoil, both financially and identically. The Blaugrana had lost their stature amongst European powerhouses.
Therefore, it's safe to say that Messi’s last five years at Barcelona were quite stressful. Had it not been for his supportive family and love for the city, Messi may have left Barcelona earlier.
His Ballon d’Or win in 2019 highlighted his unique position: although his club was struggling, he was still churning out world-class performances every week.
Change in Messi after leaving Barcelona
During his time at Barcelona, Messi was more Catalan than Argentinian. His early coaches, especially Pep Guardiola, demanded absolute obedience and student-like attitude from his players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic accused Xavi, Andres Iniesta and other Barcelona players of being ‘school-boys’ in his autobiography.
Although Messi has always been an exceptional player, his personality was always suppressed because of this conditioning. Moreover, his natural introversion made it almost impossible for him to assert himself in non-footballing matters.
His awkward early interviews, nervous hand movements, inability to look at the camera during interviews all suggest an early personality that was shy and uneasy with the public eye.
People in Argentina were quick to notice his lack of ‘passion’. Growing up on the folklore of Diego Maradona, the people of Argentina expected their new captain to be Maradonaesque not only in playing style but also in his personality, at least to some extent.
People accused him of not singing the national anthem and not showing any passion after losing the 2014 World Cup final (1-0) to Germany at the Maracana.
However, it all changed after Messi left Barcelona in 2021. It almost seemed as if he could finally be free, as he no longer needed to be the soft-spoken, obedient school-boy.
By this time, he had already amassed a record six Ballons d’Or awards, numerous silverwares with Barcelona and in terms of football, at the ripe old age of 33. His confidence had improved, and thanks to his advertisements, he no longer felt camera-shy.
After all these years, Messi finally had the freedom to be who he was. After leaving Barcelona, he seemed to have a burden taken off his shoulders. Messi’s performances in PSG did not have the urgency or fluidity during his stint in Spain.
Some of it, of course, is due to different team dynamics, but one could not completely shake off the possibility that Messi was more relaxed now, playing for a side that paid him well but for which he did not have much affection.
Messi flourished at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Messi’s new personality was there for everyone to see in the Copa America in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup the following year.
During the penalty shootout in the semifinals against Colombia, he taunted his former Barcelona teammate Yerry Mina by shouting ‘Baila ahora’ which means ‘Dance now’ after the centre-half had his spot-kick saved by Emiliano Martinez. Mina has a habit of performing a jig after scoring goals, usually from corner-kicks.
Messi was much more vocal after winning the Copa that year, falling down on his knees with tears in his eyes. All the pain of the two previous Copa America final defeats against Chile in 2015 and 2016 were washed away in one swoop.
Messi’s performances with the national team had improved since 2017, most famously demonstrated in his hat-trick against Ecuador in La Paz. It was a game Argentina simply had to win to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, but they found themselves a goal down inside 40 seconds.
Since that game, Argentina fans have begun to see Messi in a different light, despite the Copa America semi-final defeat against Brazil in 2019.
In the World Cup in 2022, Messi resembled the proverbial bad boy. He angrily threatened Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst during an interview with the words ‘Que miras bobo?’ or “What are you looking at fool?” Messi forgot for a moment that Weghorst was at least a feet taller and much stronger than him.
South America football expert for Sky Sports Tim Vickery called it ‘Argentine streetspeak’, a sort of language that street children in Argentina would use to mock each other in football grounds made of concrete.
Messi also did not let leave Louis van Gaal out as he famously taunted the Dutch manager with the Juan Roman Riquelme celebration after scoring his penalty and Argentina’s second goal of the game, in what he believed to be the winner.
Why is the new Lionel Messi good news for Argentina fans?
The World Cup in 2026 is set to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico and Messi playing in the USA could prove to be an added advantage.
We have already seen the benefits of Messi playing in PSG, as he had the time to study French football culture and observe Kylian Mbappe closely, a player who had beaten Messi and Co. in the Round of 16 in the World Cup in 2018 and the Champions League in 2021.
Moreover, playing in the MLS could prolong Messi’s career. He would still be playing regular professional football and yet not have the stress of operating in elite European leagues. That will only help Messi strengthen his bond with the national team, as the Albiceleste now look to defend their Copa America title in 2024 and the World Cup two years later.
