Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[TCIB]

Kieran Maguire spoke to super joe... Sam Lee for an article in The Athletic on how we could finance the Messi deal.

How Manchester City could afford Messi without breaking FFP rules

Manchester City are profitable, can spread the cost of Messi over his contract and attract increased sponsorship

theathletic.com

The tl;dr is we can and without having to get into dodgy territory. There is no one nice concise sentence i could get away with quoting here. His answer is long and detailed.

 

[21silva]

Why will he change the way we play?

Our football has been magnificent under Pep.

Our problem last season was poor defending from front to back, how will Messi make that better?

Maybe not, we know our defending is probably what cost us. I also know despite our great amount of goals missing a shit tonne of chances hurt us too.

 

[Keeper!]

Because everything will be about him and go through him. Messi isn't going to play second fiddle to no one.

Well if it does, and I don't think it will, we will have problems.

We have already on of the top 3 players in the world KDB, what he going to do?

 

[leo_city]

 

[Keeper!]

We were not guilty, that is not in any stretch of the imagination "digging ourselves out of a massive hole".

Do you also, seriously think we would now start to look at underhand tactics to land Messi, knowing that we will be being watched like a hawk?

Our owners and board members are top of the tree businessmen, not the Dell Boys sometimes portraid by some in here.

Nothing to do with underhand tactics, IF we are giving him a percentage of the CFG, you don't think UEFA will come sniffing?

 

[slbsn]

How come you always seem so miserable?

Hard to say. Growing up under the clouds of Manchester watching City being shit for 30 years?

 

[Carlos- the- jackal]

Messi's commercial appeal is not "off the scale". We know what a 33 year old Ronaldo was "worth" in uplift terms in a non Covid world and which contracts he uplifted (Adidas and Jeep totalling around €40m plus Juve increased tickets by 30%). We also know what Barca generate commercially vs Real (see for example and can see that it is LOWER than Real which suggests Messi's commercial appeal is not "off the scale".)

Yes we can adjust our Abu Dhabi partner deals but that will again lead to issues. So it is far from simple and people throwing around "commercial uplifts" to explain how we pay €250-300m over 3 years (minimum) are overly simplistic.

Anyway, these are things to discuss. The whole forum is speculation and subjective view.

I bet you’re a fuckin’ barrel of laughs on a night out!

 

[ws01]

Well if it does, and I don't think it will, we will have problems.

We have already on of the top 3 players in the world KDB, what he going to do?

He'll play supporting cast. Mate, we're talking about most probably the greatest footballer that has ever lived here.

I love KDB, he to me is a genius, but he isn't a patch on Lionel Messi - and that's nothing to be ashamed about.

 

[BimboBob]

Because everything will be about him and go through him. Messi isn't going to play second fiddle to no one.

I'm out then. We have a team. Pep likes team players. If he fits off the pitch that's all well and good but it must be balanced by what goes on the pitch.

I wouldn't give 2 fucks about the extra commercial dodahs if he was disruptive on the pitch.

He's not coming anyway so it's a mute point.

 

[HelloCity]

Hard to say. Growing up under the clouds of Manchester watching City being shit for 30 years?

Now you’re watching a top team who potentially may sign the greatest footballer of all time.

Enjoy it. You deserve to. :)