The history of decay of FC Barcelona can be told as an unprecedented European financial disaster, but in the end all fatal calculation errors and bloated balance sheets lead back to the green grass on Tuesday evening, at the start of the Champions League and visible to all, the smallest, grayest and The hottest Barça team in the last fifteen years: three central defenders to await the onslaught of FC Bayern;

two new Dutch on the offensive to make Messi and his colleagues forget, even if no one knows how to do it;

and otherwise everyone behind the ball.

But just as the sun shines in the sky long after it has set, this story of a sudden transformation is not entirely true either: it was the glamorous strikers Messi and Suárez who were still in the 8-2 debacle against Bayern in August 2020 were presented more bitterly than the rejuvenated troops on Tuesday.

Since then, the word “Lisbon”, the neutral scene of the battle festival, has been added to other illustrious club names that have humiliated FC Barcelona in the premier league over the past six years: Rome, Turin, Liverpool, and a little also the Atlético Madrid of the iron hard Diego Simeone. It may be that Lionel Messi still delivered the best spectacle - Barça have not played the best football for a long time. The last win of the handle pot was dated May 2015. And the last Spanish title was two years ago.

To orient us, take a look at Mr. Bartomeu's wrong purchases, whose haphazard management has left the association with liabilities of 1.35 billion euros. In August 2017, the Catalans transferred 135 million euros to Borussia Dortmund for Ousmane Dembélé. Today's market value: better not ask. In January 2018 the same amount to Liverpool FC for Philippe Coutinho. The Premier League star became a loan candidate. And in July 2019 another 120 million to Atlético Madrid for Antoine Griezmann, who has temporarily returned to his old club after two years without a juice. Horrible salaries for players who weren't up to par. Now it's time to learn realism. Build up again from below. And preferably with a youth development project that has produced some of the greatest players in the last twenty years.