Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[Lavinda Past]

He's the best footballer in the world, he's given so many genuine footballing fans throughout the world so much pleasure, so many times. There's nothing like him and I doubt we will see anyone like him again or at least another 30 years.

He's the artist you pay to watch, he doesn't do off days.

Remember Gio Kinkladze and how he got you off your feet, the excitement you got, the giddiness when he was on it? Messi is that 20 times a match, every match. He deserves every penny he gets.

I'd turn back time to watch Ali, Silva and Gio again. That's what he brings.

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them. That's no longer the case.

A wonderful player to watch? Definitely. But he's a parasite. He's bled Barcelona dry, now he's looking for a new host.

If you enjoy watching him, you'll have to watch him on the telly. He ain't coming to City.

 

[Robinho's Subbuteo]

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them.

To be fair, even if he wanted to, it wasn't in his hands.

 

[manimanc]

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them. That's no longer the case.

A wonderful player to watch? Definitely. But he's a parasite. He's bled Barcelona dry, now he's looking for a new host.

If you enjoy watching him, you'll have to watch him on the telly. He ain't coming to City.

Wasn't there something to do with the tax or some court case that kyboshed it?

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them. That's no longer the case.

A wonderful player to watch? Definitely. But he's a parasite. He's bled Barcelona dry, now he's looking for a new host.

If you enjoy watching him, you'll have to watch him on the telly. He ain't coming to City.

The best piece of itk info I got was from someone working with Messi on a tv ad a few years ago, and Messi was openly fuming about Barca about that tax case. absolutely scathing about them for several days was what I was told, from someone who was technically his boss that day and not a football fan.

He knows how to play the piano and get a song out of the club and it’s fans.

 

[mccity]

Wasn't there something to do with the tax or some court case that kyboshed it?

Basically he had a clause in his contract that meant that before the end of the 2019/2020 season he could request to leave and Barcelona would have to let him go (THE BUROFAX).

So Messi went ahead and did this, but only after they got tonked by Bayern in the Champions League. The complication was that although the season hadn't ended yet officially, it was three months past the original end of season date, prior to the COVID lockdown.


Barcelona argued that May 31st was the deadline, Messi argued that August 23rd was the deadline. Had Messi left Barcelona and joined City, Barcelona would have sued for breach of contract. If Barcelona won, they would have been entitled to up to 100m (presumably payable by City, who did not want to spend that kind of money on Messi that summer). Messi said he didn't want it to go to court as that's not how he wanted his Barcelona legacy to end.

So what to make of that is down to how cynical you are. One argument is that he bottled it, although I suspect he'd been given advice that he would have lost the case in court. Or you could say that he knowingly waited until after May and used this whole thing to manipulate Barcelona into booting Bartomeu out, who was his primary source of problems that whole time.

 

[MadchesterCity]

I usually quite like an update to the title, with a page number, often makes it easier when nothing has been happening. I find the fee in the last couple days here have thrown me a touch though.

I like a title page and page number, makes for easier reading. Good job mods

 

[MrDaveyHavoc]

Basically he had a clause in his contract that meant that before the end of the 2019/2020 season he could request to leave and Barcelona would have to let him go (THE BUROFAX).

So Messi went ahead and did this, but only after they got tonked by Bayern in the Champions League. The complication was that although the season hadn't ended yet officially, it was three months past the original end of season date, prior to the COVID lockdown.


Barcelona argued that May 31st was the deadline, Messi argued that August 23rd was the deadline. Had Messi left Barcelona and joined City, Barcelona would have sued for breach of contract. If Barcelona won, they would have been entitled to up to 100m (presumably payable by City, who did not want to spend that kind of money on Messi that summer). Messi said he didn't want it to go to court as that's not how he wanted his Barcelona legacy to end.

So what to make of that is down to how cynical you are. One argument is that he bottled it, although I suspect he'd been given advice that he would have lost the case in court. Or you could say that he knowingly waited until after May and used this whole thing to manipulate Barcelona into booting Bartomeu out, who was his primary source of problems that whole time.

I had read it wasn't just 100m, it could have been his whole release clause

 

[bluemoon32]

 

[Petetheblu]

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them. That's no longer the case.

A wonderful player to watch? Definitely. But he's a parasite. He's bled Barcelona dry, now he's looking for a new host.

If you enjoy watching him, you'll have to watch him on the telly. He ain't coming to City.

Yeah, but still worth every penny....

 

[MadchesterCity]

If he actually WANTED to play for Manchester City, he'd have come to us 12 months ago. He stayed at Barcelona because he could still manipulate them. That's no longer the case.

A wonderful player to watch? Definitely. But he's a parasite. He's bled Barcelona dry, now he's looking for a new host.

If you enjoy watching him, you'll have to watch him on the telly. He ain't coming to City.

I get the feeling your not a fan?