Messi landing spots: Manchester City, PSG, other clubs where the Barcelona superstar could end up

Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wants to leave, ending a career with that club dates back to the childhood of the Argentine superstar. It’s a rather unceremonious end with his likely last match for Barca coming in an embarrassing 8-2 defeat to future Champions League winners Bayern Munich.

At 33, Messi’s career is not over, even though he is very much at the end of his career. Here because Luis Suarez, Carles Puyol and others spoke on social media to thank him for his years at Barca. Any club that gets one of the greatest players to ever play the sport would be very lucky to do so and of course there are many who are pining for its services.

Here are some of the best landing spots for Messi now that his time at Camp Nou appears to be over.

The rich clubs

Of course, one of the biggest obstacles to getting Messi into any club is the cost of his talent. Very few clubs around the world are able to afford it right away, but that doesn’t mean any of them can. Manchester City, for example, they are reportedly looking into the situation and are seen as the current favorite for the odds that Messi will go to next season.

Their UAE-backed property has more than enough money to afford the Argentine superstar, and would also mean a reunion with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who was responsible for a predominant part of Messi’s success in La Liga. Also on the side of the English club there is a report from ESPN on Monday that the club was crunching the numbers to bring the player without violating financial fair play.

Of course, you can’t talk about rich clubs without mentioning the most famous in the world right now, Paris Saint Germain. The Qatar-backed club has chased star players left and right with reckless abandon, most recently picked up Neymar from Barcelona in one of the most expensive transfers in world history. A management meeting is one thing, but a meeting on the pitch with a former teammate with whom Messi has won many trophies would certainly be a huge strength.

Inter Milan it’s also in the mix here. Inter, who have just finished second in the Europa League but have also had their best season in Italy since 2010 – are among the contenders who could entice Messi. The club’s football director is his former Argentine teammate Javier Zanetti, who is someone with whom the superstar maintains a good relationship. Having influence with someone so high up in the pecking order would surely be a sale for someone whose fallout with their former club can be at least partially attributed to conflict with the front office. While the property doesn’t have the funds from City and PSG, Suning Holdings Group certainly has the capital to potentially make it a reality.

Argentina

Messi’s future depends on his desire to continue playing in Europe. Something he has mentioned in the past is how he wants to end his career with his childhood club fabulous, Newell’s old boys. Perhaps he would help Barcelona in their desire to sell him if his goal is only to finish his time as a player in his home country. Such comebacks have already happened in the past, for example with Carlos Tevez headed to Boca Juniors at just 31 years old in 2015, just a couple of months after scoring 29 goals for Juventus.

That said, how he would have been received upon his return remains an interesting factor in this as he has been harshly criticized by the Argentine press in the past for his lack of success in the national team. He also cited his family and radical Argentine fandom as reasons he is concerned about such a move.

“On a sporting level, the game is the same, but people in Argentina are crazier on this issue. Not winning the Clasico means a lot. Here you want to win but, if you lose, nothing happens. There, you can’t. You leave the house. if you lose, “he told TYC Sports in 2019.

The fairytale return may very well be just as imaginary as the name suggests.

MLS

If Argentina were a long shot, this is even more so, but Messi headed for Major League Soccer is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Again, there is some precedent. David Beckham who moved to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 is an example of a player with one of the greatest celebrities in the world coming to the United States to play. Of course, this would be a lot bigger than that, but Beckham being in an ownership position at Inter Miami means there is someone who knows how to try and get one of the greatest to come in that league. Financially speaking, the money could be there with the upcoming 2026 World Cup, and it would absolutely skyrocket with his presence in the league.

The last time one of the greatest players I’ve ever played came to America in that capacity was when Pele played for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. We are approaching 50 years since it happened and barring an incredible trading bout from Beckham’s Miami, the winning streak is likely to continue.