Lionel Messi missed Barcelona's first training today, Monday, in preparation for the new season of the Spanish Football League, days after his sudden decision to leave the club, while reports revealed that he would make more than a billion dollars from his contract with Manchester City.
Messi's absence from training - the first under the new coach Ronald Koeman - was expected after the 33-year-old did not attend the medical examination on Sunday, confirming his desire to escalate and his determination to leave.
⚠️ The Sports City witnessed the conduct of Covid-19 tests this morning, with the team beginning training tomorrow evening, Monday, where the players are scheduled to conduct individual exercises pic.twitter.com/Xf0rxjVD9B
- FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_ara) August 30, 2020
Reuters TV showed the players access to training starting at 17:30 local time (15:30 GMT), and Messi did not come.
Messi, who won the award for the best player in the world 6 times, insists that there is a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for free, allegations that Barcelona and the Spanish League reject.
Messi's lawyers rely on the clause signed in his 2017, four-season contract, which allows him to leave the club for free if he asks for it before the tenth of June.
They stressed that this clause is usually applied at the end of the season, but the season was postponed and extended to August due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
But the Spanish League said on Sunday that the only way for any team to sign Messi was to pay the penalty clause of 700 million euros ($ 836 million).
Messi's decision comes after Barcelona were left empty-handed last season, which ended in a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Messi's insistence on leaving may explain what was revealed by the American ESPN network regarding the huge sums that he will receive from the English team, as it stated that he will sign a 5-year contract with Manchester City until 2025, but in the last two seasons he will wear a shirt. The New York City team, whose shares are also acquired by the group that owns Man City.
The American Network said that Messi will get about $ 600 million in the five seasons, including taxes, at $ 120 million per season, but he will get an additional $ 300 million when he moves to the New York City team, which means that he will make more than one billion dollars in the five years if As we added tournament rewards, he will also receive.
The network added that Manchester City is seeking, with this contract, to include Messi without getting involved again in violating the rules of fair financial play that he narrowly escaped, after he was suspended for two years from European championships.
📍 19 players coaching individually at Sports City Joan Gamper.
@ivanrakitic Missing training with club permission.
pic.twitter.com/ig1FCTm5Q0
- FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_ara) August 31, 2020
On the other hand, Barcelona fans - who were waiting outside the training ground on Monday - were divided over Messi's decision to leave the Catalan club.
"I really want Messi to stay," said Brazilian Fabio Alfredo Suarez, "Messi lives in my heart, and it hurts that he wants to leave. I wanted to leave the big door."
Spaniard Ivan Antolin Beltran recalled how Barcelona helped the Argentine player early in his career.
He added, "After all that Barcelona provided to Messi throughout his career, which began here while he was a youngster, and took care of his treatment and everything, I think his behavior is inappropriate."