3 Years Without Messi at Barcelona: What Has Changed?

Was it Barcelona’s Lionel Messi or Lionel Messi’s Barcelona? Three years ago, these two footballing giants parted ways in a bitter farewell that wasn’t meant to happen.

The year 2021 was supposed to be a year of renewal for FC Barcelona. Messi, who had requested to leave the club in August 2020, decided to stay for the final year of his contract. Then, Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as president following recent corruption scandals and controversies involving the players, leaving the position to a familiar face: Joan Laporta.

Laporta promised to balance the club’s finances and bring back major titles, leaving behind the dark days. And that’s exactly what they did for the rest of the season – they generated good revenue, won the Copa del Rey, and fought until the end for La Liga, losing the title in the last round in a home defeat to Celta, 2-1, after a comeback.

Despite everything he had experienced in recent years at Barcelona – from the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020 to the painful eliminations against Roma and Liverpool in the Champions League – Messi decided to stay in Spain after winning the Copa América, his first major trophy with Argentina. However, on the day the contract was to be signed, La Liga decided not to approve the club’s accounts, making the minimum revenue insufficient to register Messi in the competitions – a decision that left the club unable to renew the contract with the Argentine star, who couldn’t stay in Catalonia not because he didn’t want to, but because he simply couldn’t.

Messi then had to choose a club that not only showed interest in signing him but also could offer a similar commission to what he had at Barcelona – a tough mission. The decision came just three days later, with PSG emerging as the best option with a two-year contract and an astronomical salary. Soon, he joined Neymar, his former teammate and friend, and Mbappé, the team’s star in the making, to form one of the most unexpected trios: MNM! Which… flopped!

In the 2021-22 season, Leo had immense difficulty adapting to French football and only began to find his rhythm with his teammates in the following season. Here are Messi’s stats during his years at PSG:

During this period, Messi was eliminated twice in the Round of 16 of the Champions League but won two Ligue 1 titles and one French Super Cup. These titles, however, were merely symbolic compared to what he achieved with Argentina in December 2022: the FIFA World Cup – the most important and iconic title of his career.

We can’t deny that in the first half of the 2022-23 season, Messi was playing magnificently – scoring or assisting in nearly every game, directly influencing most of PSG’s attacking plays. This certainly changed as 2023 came around, likely because he was playing in the country that his team had defeated in the World Cup final. Messi seemed carefree and relaxed, as if he was enjoying a post-World Cup honeymoon.

After a tense end to the season in France and with his contract once again expiring, Messi decided to return to Barcelona. Unsuccessfully, as the Catalan club was still unable to sign any players without first lowering salaries or selling athletes – again, due to La Liga’s financial viability plan that needed approval. So, the Argentine, who had already made history in Europe, essentially said: “If it’s not Barcelona, then it’s no one else.” And so, he left the old continent.

Leo signed with Inter Miami, David Beckham’s team, aiming to boost soccer in the United States, promote the sport, and bring astronomical gains to MLS and its supporting brands. These entities devised a strategy, involving all clubs, to bring the biggest name in football today to the league.

Now, a more relaxed Lionel Messi enjoys sunny days in Miami, savoring life in the USA with his family and playing football with friends Luis Suarez, Busquets, and Alba – a dream end to a career that, if not for his departure from Barcelona, would likely have been very different.