Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has informed Barça – his only senior club – he wants to leave after a dismal season at the Camp Nou.
It would be painful for the entire LaLiga if Messi leaves Barcelona
Leo Messi’s departure from Barcelona would be a blow for the entire LaLiga, said former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon. Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has informed Barça – he wants to leave after a dismal season at the Camp Nou. This decision has caused a stir at the Blaugrana as their captain and superstar prepares to leave after two decades of service. The Catalan giants failed to win a single trophy. And exited the Champions League with a humiliating 8-2 defeat of the quarter-finals of Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, in LaLiga, the disappointing ending of the interrupted 2019-20 season saw Barça relinquish the title to their arch-rivals, who ended up finishing five points at the summit to claim their first Primera Division crown since 2017.
It looks like a talismanic number 10 will now move on just two years after his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid for the Serie A giants Juventus.
The defeat against Bayern hurts Leo
Calderon told journalists: “It would be hurtful for the image, the quality, the show in the LaLiga if Messi went. We are fortunate to have Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in our league for the past ten years, the top two world by far. They will not be here anymore, none of them will be with us. It hurtful for our league and the fans”. Calderón revealed his surprise at Messi’s request, although he acknowledged the scale of Barça’s recent setbacks made a move understandable. “The recent events have certainly upset Messi,” he said. “It’s a strange time because he’s a winner like Barcelona used to be. The defeat at Bayern hurts him a lot, for sure. It forces Messi to reconsider his future, mainly because there will be a world championship in two years. I’m sure he is aiming to be there and win the cup.
“So he probably thought Barcelona’s future was not the best for his goals and he takes that decision. It has been a bit shocking to me because I thought he had already decided to end his career at Barcelona. Still, it looks like these last actions influenced him to leave the club.”