In numbers and facts, why did Barcelona have to give up Messi?
Barcelona seemed desperate to preserve the services of its star and Argentine captain, Lionel Messi, while the latter expressed his desire to stay at the Camp Nou, as the tears he shed at the farewell press conference on Sunday showed.
But why, then, did the little "Flea" leave the only club that defended his jersey in his 17-year professional career?
La Liga salary cap
Barcelona confirmed that they had no choice but to part with the 34-year-old star on a free transfer after his contract expired in June, as he struggled to reduce his debts of 1.2 billion euros ($ 1.4 billion).
For his part, and to prove his goodwill, Messi agreed to reduce his salary by 50 percent, as studies indicated that the club's commercial value far exceeded the astronomical cost of his salary.
Despite the positive move from the Argentine, this debt and the need to comply with a strict salary cap in La Liga forced Messi to leave Barcelona through the narrow door.
The Catalans squandered the amount of 222 million euros they received from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 as a result of the transfer of Brazilian Neymar to the club, by committing to paying a transfer fee of more than 100 million euros, with a shy sporting return for both Brazilian Philippe Coutinho and French strikers Antoine Griezmann and Othman. Dembele.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted that the club's losses last season alone amounted to nearly 500 million euros, and insisted that he could not "mortgage" the club's future to any player, including Messi.
On the other hand, clubs in the first two divisions in Spain suffered a total of 2.013 billion euros ($2.43 billion) in profit losses for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons due to the repercussions of the Corona virus pandemic that has exhausted the world of football.
The laws of the La Liga state that no Spanish club can be registered in the league that exceeds the maximum salary set by it: in the case of Barcelona, the amount is 348 million euros in 2020-2021, but the club exceeded it at the end of last season, knowing that it is much lower From the staggering sum of €671.4m in the previous quarter...so the League could not tolerate further financial failure.
On the other hand, Laporta also admitted that the club's total salary with Messi amounted to 110 percent.
But even with the Argentine outside Catalonia, this percentage could have risen significantly to 95 percent, which the Catalan club cannot afford.
No new signings will be allowed, even Messi
Some wondered why the Argentine, if he really loved the club, couldn't stay and play for free.
But they ignore the fact that it is absurd to think that the best player in the world can or should agree to it, as it may be impossible.
Without being bound by the salary cap rules, Barcelona are not allowed to sign any new contracts.
With Messi's previous contract expiring in June, he would have been considered a new signing.
This also raises questions about Barcelona's summer contracts, with Dutch strikers Memphis Depay from Lyon and Argentine Sergio Aguero and defender Eric Garcia from Manchester City in free transfers, and the club paid nine million euros to activate the clause to bring back Brazilian right-back Emerson from Real Pettis.
Also, some may wonder why the Spanish League cannot be more flexible, given the revenue that Messi's stay will bring, as he is considered the best international representative of Spanish football with the growing interest in "La Liga" in the presence of the Argentine star.
And in exchange for the European Football Association (Wifa) easing restrictions on its financial fair play rules to help clubs affected by the “Covid-19” pandemic, the Spanish League did not show leniency in this regard, but rather stuck to its strict positions, which prevented Messi from staying in Barcelona ranks.
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