Lionel Messi is only weeks away from the Premier League. Mental.
Almost every football fan in the world had thought that Messi would see his club career at Barcelona until recently or at most retire with a spell at Newell’s Old Boys.
However, the situation at Camp Nou has become so unbearable for the 33-year-old that the chances of a fairytale goodbye to Barcelona seem dead and buried.
Man City for Messi
Messi’s father and agent Jorge flew to Barcelona on Wednesday for talks with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu who will likely reiterate the player’s desire to move elsewhere.
And all avenues seem to lead to Manchester City with the Daily Record reporting Tuesday night that Messi had accepted financial terms that would maintain his status as the highest paid player in the world.
As a result, the classic pub conversation about how Messi would perform in the Premier League went from a complete hypothetical to something potentially under discussion in the city council chamber.
How would Messi perform in England?
One side of the argument, of which I am part, believes that Messi’s qualities are such that any loss of form when moving from La Liga to the Premier League would be minimal.
On the flip side, however, some fans believe the physical nature of English football will really take over the Argentine and that he will struggle to produce the stats he achieves in Spain.
And that’s an opinion shared by Reading fan David, who caused a stir on social media this week when he phoned talkSPORT to give a biting review of Messi’s possibilities on live radio.
“It wouldn’t last five minutes”
“I can only say that Messi was the best footballer in the world, but now he is not,” said the caller. “If you look, the last two great games – semi-final against Liverpool last year, Bayern Munich this year – have disappeared.
“It wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in the Premier League with the center quarters he would have had to face. Because if I was a midfielder, the first thing I would do would be to cross it. First five minutes.
“Honestly, if he did it in any other country, he would be known as the best footballer in the world. That’s why Ronaldo is the best footballer in the world. He did it in the Premier League, Spain and Italy.”
Says Kobe Tong of GIVEMESPORT
Oooooooooo … I bet Messi is scared to death of Ben Mee and Liam Cooper.
Okay, jokes aside, I have no doubt for a second that a mid-table or relegation-fighting club will find a way to stop Messi at some point next season if he really does move to the Etihad Stadium.
Look, it also happens in La Liga, even the best players in history cannot set the world on fire every single match … but I think it will end up in England within five minutes? Heck.
There are too many examples of Messi rallying against the odds in matches against teams trying to mess him up and, for that matter, against English teams in the Champions League.
Yes, I think the Premier League will be tougher on him and I think his stats will drop as he adjusts, but I predict it will be a little stagger compared to a full blown slump.
Also, the grass looks a lot greener in England for Messi right now and that can only be good for a GOAT.
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