Lionel Messi had dropped a bombshell when he said he wanted to leave FC Barcelona but a matter of EUR700 million stood in his way of exiting his childhood club.
Lionel Messi had dropped a bombshell when he chose to leave FC Barcelona at the end of the 2019/20 season. However, after some hectic meetings with the board and going through plenty of technical nuances, Messi chose to stay albeit ‘relunctantly’ at FC Barcelona for one more year. In an interview, Messi outlined the drama and the hurt that unfolded when he announced his decision to leave FC Barcelona. The family was hurt and the children said that they did not want to leave Barcelona. At the same time, Messi outlined that he was hurt by allegations that he was going to take his childhood club to court. Messi stated that the thought did not even cross his mind. However, Messi, considered one of the greatest football players ever, did not hold back when he said the FC Barcelona leadership under the presidency of Josep Bartomeu has been a total disaster.
So, why did Lionel Messi choose to stay in FC Barcelona for one more year. Here are some of the explainers.
What is the background?
In 2017, Paris Saint-Germain had paid Euro 222 million to FC Barcelona to acquire the services of Neymar. In that same year, Lionel Messi signed a new four-year deal with FC Barcelona until 2021. However, that contract had a buyout clause or release clause.
What is a buyout clause and how does it impact footballers?
A buy-out clause in a football player’s contract typically foresees the payment of an amount of money to the club in exchange for the player being free to transfer to another club. In September 2019, Lionel Messi and his team inserted a release clause clause would allow the player to terminate the deal unilaterally – allowing Messi to leave for free before the season ends.
When did Lionel Messi trigger the release clause?
In August 2020, Lionel Messi sent a burofax. A burofax is a service provided by Spain's Postal Service (Correos) for sending documents where it is necessary to prove that the document was delivered and also the contents of that document. It is widely used where the sender needs to be able to legally prove that the recipient received the document on a given date and what the contents were. The burofax documents stated that he wanted to leave the club at the end of the season.
What loophole did the FC Barcelona board use?
The clause stated that Lionel Messi had to inform the club of his decision before June 10, which is traditionally the end of the La Liga season. However, the coronavirus pandemic threw the entire La Liga schedule in disarray and the season was extended to August. When Messi activated the clause, FC Barcelona’s board challenged that the deal expired in June. However, Messi’s legal team were adamant that the deal extended until the end of the season.
What is the EUR700 million buyout clause?
As stated above, Messi and every footballer is under a buyout clause as stated in the FIFA regulations. However, when Messi signed his four-year deal in 2017, his buyout clause was EUR300 million. That was increased in the aftermath of Paris Saint Germain acquiring Neymar for EUR222 million by paying out his clause. In the ensuing years, Messi’s buyout clause increased to EUR700 million. To put that into perspective, Messi’s annual package was EUR185 million.
So, why did Lionel Messi stay and will he leave by the end of the season?
Lionel Messi has stated that he was thinking about leaving the club for a long time as he wanted new, young players to take up the mantle. The 2-8 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League plus surrendering the La Liga title to Real Madrid was perhaps the tipping point for Messi. What might have prompted him to stay for one more year was that he did not want to take his childhood club to court as the proceedings are far too long and it would have left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths. On the decision that he might leave next season, it is upto Messi. There are speculations that he might head to Manchester City and get back his glory days under Pep Guardiola.
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 "Lionel Messi FC Barcelona 2021")
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