In other news, Barcelona released a petty statement with Laporta saying he "understood and respected Messi's decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands...and pressure." What a dumb move and completely uncalled for, in my opinion. Firstly, there's no need to make a statement about a player that you missed out on and hasn't played for your club in two years, regardless of him being the greatest player to ever play for your club. Secondly, you cannot blame him for seeking another opportunity based on the way Barcelona has operated the last 2-3 years. Their finances are a complete sh*t show. They were blaming the club's highest earners for their position, but Messi, Suarez, Busquets, Pique, Alba, etc are all gone now (some even took pay cuts and deferments to help alleviate the situation) and they still can't seem to get under La Liga's salary cap regulations. They have been poorly managed and have run out of "financial levers' to pull. Messi was reportedly made some promises about how they could get him back to Barcelona and it smelled of the same things he was told in 2021 and decided he did not want to go through that debacle again. Even if he played for free, his salary cap hit would be too much bc La Liga bases the hit, among other factors, on previous earnings. The guy has made more money than he knows what to do with and decided to make this next decision based on what his family wanted rather than solely on money. Sort your own house first, Barcelona, before you throw shade at someone else.
-FTA c/o 2013