The non-renewal of Messi with Barcelona and his signing for Paris Saint Germain is already sports history. However, it still shocks how it came about. Joan Laporta was convinced, or at least he did so publicly, that the Argentine could renew and continue his sports career at Barcelona. On August 4, on the contrary, the president called the father of ’10’ and gave him the news: they could not renew him. The journalist Juan I. Irigoyen, in El País, has reviewed step by step how his departure took place and has unveiled an unexpected move by Gerard Piqué.
Messi did not fully understand why the agreed contract had not finally been signed. It is then that he received some surprising information: Piqué did not advocate its renewal at all costs. According to El País, the center-back told Laporta: “Without Leo, the issue of financial fair play will be resolved”. So it was. The departure of the Argentine star allowed Barcelona to start the season with a relatively controlled situation and the efforts of some players, including Piqué himself, led to the registration of signings such as Memphis Depay.
The option of PSG appeared, which Messi welcomed due to the high competitive level and the presence in the city of friends of the national team or Neymar. In the report of El País, some testimonies of the Castilian-speakers of the locker room are collected: “He is more social, he asks you things, he also tells things about his life“However, other voices point out the opposite: those who did not know the Barcelona legend beforehand. “He does not speak. He sits in his seat, stays quiet and watches everything, “they reveal. And there’s more:”When he is in the locker room, everything is different. There is another climate. command respect“.
The Argentine also suffers when it comes to his personal life. He began living at the Le Royal Monceau hotel, together with his family. His first days were a constant crush of press and fans, unlike his quiet life in Castelldefels. In addition, it took him an hour to get his children to school and another to get to the PSG facilities. After the close of the day, he locked himself in the hotel. After two months like this, he ended up moving to the Neuilly-sur-Seine neighborhood, a bit far from the center. El País collects testimonies from those around him: “It was important for him to leave the hotel“With the passage of time, Messi has been adapting to his new life and is getting closer to his best level.