It is the end of an era in La Liga; Lionel Messi is leaving Barcelona. The Argentine superstar is departing the Catalan giants, whose massive economic problems have made it impossible to keep him. As a result, Messi looks set to play in Paris this upcoming season.
After two decades at the Camp Nou, Messi is now exiting the only club he’s ever known as a professional. And La Liga, which was once home to the two greatest players in the world, will now have none of those two superstars next season for the first time in years.
After coming to grips with this shocking news, SBOTOP reflects upon the impact of Messi’s departure and the legacy he leaves behind in Spain and Barcelona.
The Star of the Golden Age of Barcelona, La Liga
Barcelona were one of the biggest clubs in the world before Messi was even born. They had won multiple La Liga titles and consistently attracted the best players in the world.
But it was the little Argentine’s arrival in the Barca first team as a 17-year-old in 2004 that sparked by far the club’s most successful spell in its illustrious history.
Of Barca’s 26 La Liga titles, 10 of them came during Messi’s 17 years in the first team. His 10 league titles are the most by a single player in Spanish history, one more than former teammate Andres Iniesta. He also won seven Copa del Rey titles, and more importantly, was a part of four Champions League-winning teams. All in all, Messi won a whopping 35 trophies with Barca, the most in the club’s history.
Of course, Messi had many great teammates throughout the years to help him win all those titles, but he was consistently the brightest among the constellations of stars during his time at the club.
Messi was also the brightest star in La Liga, which boasted not one but two of the best players in the world for nearly a decade. Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo was the most compelling rivalry not only in football but in the sports world for many years.
‘El Clasico’ between Messi’s Barca and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid was a can’t-miss affair because of those two, who helped raise the profile of the entire league to newer and greater heights. For that, Spanish football should be grateful.
And of course, the cules of Barcelona will be forever grateful to Messi for all the championships he helped deliver to the club over the course of his career at the Camp Nou, a remarkable run of success that seems unlikely to be matched again.
The Greatest of All-Time
More than the success he brought to Barcelona, Messi’s list of individual achievements will most likely never be matched by any other Barca player – or even any player at any club.
The numbers and milestones Messi set are simply staggering: 672 career goals for Barcelona (far and away a club record), 474 of which coming in La Liga (also a record); 40 or more goals a season for a decade; an absurd 73 goals in the 2011-12 season, with a record 50 La Liga goals; a record eight Pichichis, including five in a row; six European Golden Shoes; six Ballon d’Ors.
Messi’s list of amazing records, awards, and milestones goes on and on and on.
For over a decade, Messi brought a level of dominance that has hardly ever been seen on a football pitch. Not only was he one of the most prolific and efficient goalscorers of his generation, but he was also one of the finest passers as well as one of the greatest dribblers of all time.
At this point, there should no longer be much of a debate: Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time. No other player in history has been as good as he has for as long as he has while winning as much as he has, and those are the facts.
The Loyal Servant Who Loved the Club
And whatever happens from this moment on with his career, Messi’s legend will forever be linked with Barcelona. For two decades, Barca fans had the privilege of watching the greatest ever player perform at his peak week in, week out at the Camp Nou and celebrated the many triumphs he brought along the way.
As much glory as Messi provided, though, his last few years at Barca were not the best. He came close to leaving last summer in the infamous burofax saga. His sides also suffered some high-profile collapses in the Champions League against Roma and Liverpool, and were demolished 8-2 by Bayern Munich.
And last season, Messi could not lead Barca to the league title even with the La Liga 2021 odds shifting in their favour late in the season. Although, those failures also spoke to the lack of quality around Messi in his later years, which was behind his frustrations with the club’s board.
But as his tearful goodbye in his farewell press conference showed, Messi still loves Barcelona; he always has. He has been a loyal servant of the club for half his life and did not want to leave, but the Barca board’s woeful mismanagement of the club made the situation untenable. That is why Messi will no longer be making La Liga 2021 highlights, which is a shame.
While the wounds of this painful breakup are still fresh, time will eventually heal those wounds and Messi will be rightly remembered for leaving behind a remarkable legacy of greatness at Barcelona, the likes of which we might never see again.
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