Manchester City out, what other options for Leo Messi?
2 min read
Leo Messi is not moving to the English Premier League, or at least, not to Manchester City. After Pep Guardiola, now the rumors of Man City not interested in Messi are confirmed by Sky Sport UK. So what other options Leo Messi may have away from Barcelona?
Not many football teams can afford to pay the salary of Leo Messi. The Argentinian superstar is said to earn more than 50 million euros per year from Barcelona. If the salary would be reduced of 30%, still there are not more than 7 teams which can afford such a huge financial burden. However, in the past months, the rumors of Manchester City trying to acquire Leo Messi were rather solid and Man City was the perfect profile for the Argentinian. Not only Messi’s old friend is the Man City’s coach, Pep Guardiola, but also, Man City seems immune to financial fair play and they love to throw away money for players paying big.
In any event, few days ago Pep Guardiola clarified that Leo Messi was not about to move to the Citizens and the football team is not interested in acquiring Messi. Yesterday, the same concept has been remarked by Semra Hunter, a journalist of Sky Sports UK. According to the journalist, Manchester City has no intention to offer a contract to the Argentinean and the reason would be of financial nature. Man City has no interest in paying such a huge salary for a player like Messi. Finally, somebody is waking up…
If Leo Messi is really keen to leave Barcelona at the end of this season remaining in the European football, this could be a serious issue for him. Unless the Argentinian reduces sensibly his salary, there are no teams in Europe which can accommodate his financial demands especially during or after the Covid pandemic. Manchester City, well-known for overpaying players, could have been the last resort. Not even PSG can afford Messi, not because they are not rich enough, but due the financial fair play.
In addition, from a pure financial perspective, Leo Messi is an investment which does not make sense. Considering how many great players can be paid for a yearly salary of Messi, it would be hard to renounce to young and rising players for a player whose prime-time is gone long ago. Moreover, Messi does not seem to be an easy chap to get along with. He is well-known for his attitude in the locker-room. As such, the demand of Messi, other than financial, may be who stays and who goes.
To be realistic, Leo Messi will be 34 years old by the beginning of the next season. No doubt he has been one of the greatest footballers in the history, but his career seems to be far from the real football. China, United States or other countries willing to invest in the current football icon to promote their domestic football could be a great solution for him.
