Barcelona (AFP)
Top scorer in club history, captain with 35 trophies and multiple records, Argentinian Lionel Messi embodied Barcelona for two decades.
But the small striker with six Ballons d'Or had almost become too big for Barça, who formalized his departure on Thursday.
Arrived at the age of 13 at the Catalan training center, the "Puce", a pocket-sized twirling player (1.69 m), will remain in Catalonia as a local pride as much as a planetary symbol.
"Messi's marriage to Barça has brought a lot to both (the club and the player), a lot of joy to the supporters," Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes admitted last year.
"You have to have enormous respect for what Messi is and for his history."
Perhaps only the Dutchman Johan Cruyff, another Ballon d'Or, has accumulated such a global aura and Catalan roots.
But before returning to Barcelona as a successful technician, the Dutchman had not completed his playing career in the blue and garnet jersey.
At 34, Messi may no longer have the activity of a crazy young dog that made him pass the defenders in review like studs on all the grounds of Spain and Europe, like his slalom against Getafe on April 18, 2007 elected two years ago the most beautiful goal in the history of the club by the members.
The small striker nevertheless remains a machine for dribbling, goals and records, and attracted tourists from all over the world to the city.
- 'More than a player' -
He remains, by far, the top scorer in Barça history (672 goals in 778 matches), the top scorer in La Liga history, the top scorer in professional football over a calendar year (91 in 2012) or again the player who won the most trophies with Barcelona, 35 in all, including four Champions Leagues (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015).
The elf also collected six Ballons d'Or, better than Cristiano Ronaldo (5), Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten (3).
Beyond the numbers, the Argentine left lasting memories for Catalan fans, especially during the clasicos against Real Madrid, of his 2007 hat-trick at 6-2 inflicted on the Madrid rival on his land in 2009 through the " manita "(5-0) succeeded the following year at Camp Nou.
This is to say if in Barcelona, since the professional beginnings of "Leo" in 2004, we have often relied entirely on the little prodigy who arrived in 2000 from Rosario.
Lionel Messi six-time Ballon d'Or winner, here distinguished at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, December 2, 2019 FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives
And over the years, FC Barcelona, which claims to be "more than a club", has come up against the weight of this striker who has become "more than a player".
An evil that has a name in Catalonia: "Messi-dependence".
- Weight in the locker room -
By force of circumstances, this player with rare words and with the agreed expression also gained weight in the locker room, becoming captain in 2018, then influential in the arcana of the club.
Some of his public outings have cracked the smooth image of the little Argentinian known for his immoderate taste for the beautiful game, his touching shyness and his childish smile.
Features that had earned him an image much less "bling-bling" than that of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Captain Lionel Messi surrounded by his teammates during Barça's match in Villarreal, July 5, 2020 JOSE JORDAN AFP / Archives
When the world of football discovered Messi, it was moved by the fate of this kid who, according to the consecrated history, had left Rosario at the age of 13 to find a club in Barcelona that finances his medical treatment to solve his growth problems.
This positive image has not changed, despite his sentence to 21 months in prison (which he did not have to serve) and a fine of 2.1 million euros in 2017 for tax evasion, a few weeks before his marriage with Antonella, her childhood friend, mother of her three boys (Thiago, Mateo and Ciro).
Living in Castelldefels, in an upscale suburb of Barcelona, Messi seemed to have found a family and professional balance in Catalonia, but it is now in another shirt that he will try to extend his legend.
© 2021 AFP