What’s the story?
Lionel Messi has reportedly agreed to sign a new contract with Barcelona next month, according to Spanish outlet AS. The report details the contract to be for a period of five years, and Messi’s father Jorge is expected to fly to Catalunya to finalize the finer details of the contract in May.
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In case you didn’t know..
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Lionel Messi’s contract with Barcelona is due to end at the end of the 2017-18 season, and there was a high chance that he would leave Nou Camp for free. However, as expected, Barcelona have been doing all they can to keep the Argentinean magician at Camp Nou.
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There were many rumours on Spanish publications that one of the prime reasons for Luis Enrique stepping down as Barcelona coach was Messi’s contract situation at Barcelona. That, in short, is how valuable the number 10 is to Barcelona as a club.
The heart of the matter
Lionel Messi is a La Masia graduate and has undoubtedly a great deal of attachment to Barcelona. Therefore, even if he moved, it was unlikely he would move on a free transfer to another club. Also, the fact that there are probably two or three clubs in the world who would be able to meet Messi’s demands and ambition on the field.
Barcelona’s success in the last ten years or so has been on the back of the Argentine’s brilliance on the pitch, and at the age of 29, he has two or three really good years ahead of him.
What’s Next?
In all likelihood, Lionel Messi will be signing a new contract before the summer transfer window which should (would) make him one of the highest earning footballers in the world. The period of five years also makes sense given the ability he has shown to adapt his game as he has grown older.
Author’s Take
To be honest, Barcelona should have never reached the state when the best player in the world is potentially three months away into his last year of the contract. His transfer situation had become a saga of sorts and attracted interest from the likes of PSG, Chelsea, and the Manchester giants.
With him signing the contract, the world should return to normalcy and we can all move on.
