He’s already won everything in domestic football and now Lionel Messi is set to embark on yet another season, we expect in La Liga, but there is still work to be done at Barcelona to ensure that happens.
There is no doubt the Blaugrana knows how valuable the player is. Since his arrival at the club, at the age of 13, he has been tremendously loyal and has established himself as, arguably, the best player La Liga has ever seen. With 474 goals in 520 appearances for the Catalonians, and 76 in 151 for Argentina, Messi is, by a mile, the best player for club and country. He has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes as well as a club record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Reys and four UEFA Champions Leagues. And finally, after two decades of trying, Messi led Argentina to trophy success, winning the 2021 Copa America.
So what comes next for the Blaugrana superstar?
Barcelona’s La Liga 2021 results, at the business end of last season, were simply not good enough and Messi made his feelings known. Barca had been inconsistent throughout the campaign, not helped by an injury to wonderkid Ansu Fati, but they still had their destiny in their own hands with three games to go and they blew it.
Head coach Ronald Koeman is under pressure to deliver, following failure in the Spanish and European leagues but, following long awaited success with Argentina, his main man has been visibly more relaxed, enjoying a holiday in Ibiza with former Barca pals Luis Suarez and Cesc Fabregas. He has already brushed away the disappointment of the 2020/21 campaign and has agreed to take a huge pay cut to help out his club, though cash-strapped Barcelona still need to balance the books somehow.
Griezmann to stay at the Camp Nou?
Contrary to the noise emanating from Barcelona, over the past 12 months, it seems there has been a change of heart at the club, and by their French striker Antoine Griezmann. Although Barcelona are still open to offers for the striker, Koeman has said he would be happy if he stays at the Camp Nou, along with attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho.
The pre-season form of these two might have changed Koeman’s mind; indeed Griezmann seemed to settle more as the season went on and apparently the boss has been highly impressed by his attitude and work ethic since returning from France’s failed Euro 2020 campaign. Should a big money offer come in for the Frenchman then Koeman would find it hard to refuse, but if not the Catalans will have to be clever with their accounting to comply with the league’s financial fair play criteria, while keeping Messi at the club.
There may be a possibility to get some funds in with the future of midfield ace Miralem Pjanic in the balance. The Bosnia and Herzegovina star arrived at the Camp Nou in a 60m Euro deal last summer, but has struggled to make an impact at the club and reached the heights he did with I Bianconeri, where he spent four successful season and was ranked 50th in the Guardian’s 100 Best Players list of 2019.
Juventus have been tracking Sassuolo’s Azzurri star Manuel Locatelli; but the two clubs are yet to agree a deal and patience is running out. So a move for Pjanic could be on the agenda for the Turin club which is desperate to return to former glories having lost the Scudetto to Inter Milan last season. Pjanic signed a four year deal with Barcelona and, at 31 years of age, he still has plenty in the tank. A deal would enable Barca to recoup some, if not all, of their outlay on the player and offload a chunky wage.
Transfer deals in the Premier League could also have a knock-on effect to Barcelona and Messi. Manchester City have tabled an offer for Aston Villa’s England star Jack Grealish, believed to be £100m, and if that comes off Bernardo Silva is likely to be surplus to requirements at the Etihad, and he won’t be keen to hang around warming the bench. The Portuguese creative midfielder plays a similar role to the Barca skipper, drifting in from the right, and so we could see either of the players playing in a more central role if Silva rocks up at the Camp Nou.
The pre-season La Liga 2021 betting odds here at SBOTOP tell us Barcelona is still the team to beat as we advance towards the new campaign. Whether Messi will pull on the famous Blaugrana shirt when they face Real Sociedad on 15th August remains to be seen. But if he doesn’t represent the club he has loved for over two decades again this season, then that would be the biggest news in sport this year.
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