messi leaves Barca

how can PSG afford this with FFP?

Rename the stadium
rite
The Messi stadium

The deal would be possible under Financial Fair Play because PSG's recruitment this summer has centred largely around out-of-contract players in the form of defender Sergio Ramos, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, while right-back Achraf Hakimi joined from Inter Milan.

but PSG's revenues are peanuts

stadium isn't particularly big and Ligue 1 TV money is miniscule

not sure how they can afford Mbappe, Neymar, Verratti and Di Maria as it is, never mind Messi

As of the 2019–20 season, PSG have the seventh-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual revenue of €541m according to Deloitte, and are the world's ninth most valuable football club, worth $2.5bn according to Forbes.

PSG's strong financial position has been sustained by the club's lucrative sponsorship deals with several commercial partners, including the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), Nike, ALL and Air Jordan.

Throughout their history, though, PSG has rarely been profitable. Prior to the Qatar buyout, the club's cumulative losses between 1998 and 2010 amounted to €300m.

Nice peanuts

well yes, article doesn't mention gate receipts or domestic league tv money

first thing they list is  "lucrative sponsorship deals with several commercial partners, including the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)"

they've clearly worked something out

tourism in Qatar lol, it's smaller than northern ireland with a population only sligtly bigger

can you imagine the northern ireland tourist board efectively funding the signing of Lionel Messi

FFP is nonsense anyway, UEFA shouldn't be putting them in this position

They've got a dodgy sponsorship deal along the lines of Etihad and Manchester City, no surprises there then.

Lionel Messi is in tears as he gets a round of applause walking onto the stage.

Messi: The truth is don't know what to say. In recent days I have given lots of thought to what I can say and the truth is that I can't think of anything.

This is really difficult for me after so many years being here, my entire life. I'm not ready for this.

"After 21 years I'm leaving with my three Catalan Argentine kids. We've lived in this city, this is our home. I'm just really grateful for everything, all my team-mates, everyone who has been by my side.

"I gave everything for this club from the first day I arrived to the last. I never imagined having to say goodbye as I didn't think about it."

"I love this club. Without seeing the fans for over a year and a half has been very hard.

"If I had imagined it [his leaving speech] I would've imagined the Camp Nou full and being able to say goodbye properly."

Meanwhile, Blackpool have announced a press conference starting at 2pm ........

the tearful farewell is all well and good but of course he could have just stayed on less money...

Even with him leaving, they still have serious financial problems.
Just serves to highlight the absurd finances of club football.

"We have had some good times and some bad times as well, but the love people have shown me has always been the same.

"I hope that I can come back and be part of this club in any moment, in any way and bring something to help this club be the best in the world.

"I am forgetting so many things that I wanted to say, but that's all I can say right now. I've thought about it a lot, but the words won't come to me. Thank you to everyone"

absolutely Angoose

equally his departure leads to some potential devaluing of future sponsorship deals etc

Messi is asked if PSG is his next club and replies "it is a possibility".

"I've had nothing confirmed with anyone. When the press release went out I had a lot of calls and we are talking about a lot of things."

My blood ran cold - Messi on when he was told he would have to leave Barcelona

Messi: "It was like my blood ran cold, I was really sad, it was really difficult right up to now. I'm still trying to process it all.

"When I got home I will still feel bad, it will be even worse."

bit like how I have to stay in bed another 5 mins

Feel a wee bit sorry for him, he does his talking on the pitch and here he is slap bang in the middle of a media circus.

Barca overspending by £170m per annum on wages apparently. On FM that would get you sacked, yet in reality there's no consequences!

They and Madrid a law unto themselves, didn't Madrid used to get dodgy state funded loans in a bid to prevent Barca (catalan) dominance or is that just one of those stories spread by Barca fans ?

The European Super League was their plan to dig themselves out the hole. They won't learn their lesson until they've properly suffered.

French daily L'Equipe is reporting that Messi will have a medical at Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night or Monday morning.

His blood ran cold when he heard he'd have to leave did it.

There's no gun to his head to leave ,  he could stay on a manageable wage.

He's been pulling 50 odd million a year out of Barcelona for the last few years,   how much is enough ?

He's got all his sponsorships too, 

He wouldn't need to leave if he wasn't so greedy.

for all the good messi has done the club, that was undone by a clueless bartolomeu, he really does have some answering to do

overall though I'm glad messi is leaving, barca have become awful to watch, every team they play pack the defence for 80 minutes, I think him and verratti will combine well in midfield to then supply neymar and mbappe, think PSG are going to become the most watched club in the world

Lionel Messi and Paris St-Germain have agreed a two-year deal, with the 34-year-old Argentina forward expected to officially end his 21-year association with Barcelona with "dignity" on Sunday with a Nou Camp news conference. (Le Parisien - in French)

If Messi does move to the French capital, he is set to receive a yearly pay packet of 40m euros (about £34m). (L'Equipe - in French)

Trying to dupe the supporters with crocodile tears. If he really wanted to stay, He could have continued to play for nothing. He is a multi millionaire and doesn`t need the money.

Journalist Diego Monroig reports that PSG have booked the Eiffel Tower for Tuesday, sparking rumours that Lionel Messi's unveiling could take place in the heart of the French capital.

PSG also used the landmark to confirm their signing of Neymar in 2017.

He can't play for free. Barcelona are already over their maximum wage amount without him, so have a registration ban until they reduce the bill.

crocodile tears, it's money money money.

Pressure on La Liga ramped up to the max. The waterworks and all!

Dramatic 11th hour turnaround and more tears incoming. Fill your boots.

All good things come to an end.

99% of people never experience good things in their entire lives.

Fantastic player, pleasure to watch and will continue to enjoy watching him, but I think I`ll save my sympathy for people will deserve it.

It`s only a stupid game and a mere triviality in life.

That was not directed at you angoose and apologies if it came across as that.

Last season he said he thinking of leaving all season but somehow forgot to send his burofax until after the cut-off date - lies
Now he says he was prepared to leave last summer - more lies - and that he is not prepared to leave now - more lies.

He could have sent his burofax quietly and on time if he was prepared to leave before the end of last season, then he would have been 'prepared to leave' and would still have had the option of staying if he wanted. There is no way he would have walked away from a massive signing-on fee by leaving last summer instead of waiting until now and he was never leaving for free without terminating on time.

This season it's been well known that Barca are in the shít financially and can't afford him and he's been out of contract for over a month but not prepared to leave? He clearly doesn't want to leave but there is no way he has been out of contract for over a month with knowledge of Barca's financial issues with La Liga and is only looking elsewhere now. He is using PSG to get La Liga to climb down primarily but he will go there reluctantly if they don't. 

All down to La Liga now. Cutting off their nose to spite their face if they let him go and costing themselves and every club in the league money as well. A lot of reasons to climb down.

lurka, lies? think the problem last season was the CL final date changed date due to covid, he didnt want to disrupt the club 'mid season' and assumed the date would change accordingly, yes he probably is naive to how business people work, he had a case to go to court with but didnt want to fight with Barca, there are always 2 ways of looking at things, just depends on your outlook

if he was that upset, he could go to Newell's and return to Barcelona in the winter transfer window

I'm not sure Messi-Mbappe-Neymar will complement each other

Mbappe likes to go wide, isn't a natural central striker

imagine what a legend he would be if he did that (go to Newell's)

surely Messi is the false 9 in that 3 Guiseppe ?

Anyone who thinks he was pretending to be upset are the deluded ones .Who wants to burst into tears in front of the worlds press and cameras ? He is telling the truth ,he wanted to leave last year ,but now had decided he wanted to end his career at Barca,and there is nothing he can do about it ,its the clubs decision .

as for Poch's love of the intense high press...GL with that project...will beat mug sides but can you really beat the best in Europe just on talented self obsessed front 3's...guess we get to find out...could be fun...

yeah maybe Brentford

Mbappe played really well yesyerday

thought Neymar did well in the Copa America too, and Messi is far from finished as a player

if Poch can get them to gel PSG could be awesome

Di Maria too

yeah Poch not the right manager for this, Zidane would be better

does Conte play a high pressing game too?

Pep will leave Man City at some point, maybe PSG have their eyes on him

not really seen Inter so defer on that, I thought at Chelsea he was certainly utilising it at times

no other club seems to be a runner here

City at 55 the shortest after PSG and no transfer

Messi won't enjoy leaving

after being at Barcelona for 21 years he will be "institutionalised" to an extent

What an embarrassing spectacle the whole thing is.

Just a PR exercise for the fans to see "we all tried".

So Messi who's worth about half a billion is so upset about leaving his beloved Barce, and he's 34. Why doesn't he play for nothing. A. Because the money thing has taken him over, tax fiddling etc, greed is eating him up

angoose reckons Barca can't register him, even if he is playing for free

still he could go to Newell's for a tenner a week and tehn return

could he go to Barca B?

what effect would that have on the betfair market?

Why are people finding it so hard to accept that he is leaving ?
No publicity stunts, no dramatic last minutes twists, just a sorry tale of financial mismanagement.

because it is in nobody's interests that he go

messi doesn't want to leave, and barca and the other spanish clubs want him to stay

I'm sitting here eating a slice of cake, really, I am.
Once I've eaten it, it will be gone, I will not be able to eat it again, nor can I sit and look at it.

I will, however, nip upstairs and see if there are other slices available

I wish I could afford a slice of cake

Just ask Marie-Antoinette, she'll see you all right

great respect to Messi
wanted to play 90 mins every game. Wasnt happy sitting out any game out no matter what
sad to see barca in decline - will take a lot to come back and fans will have to accept a lengthy period of rebuilding

Tbh, for £123m a year, it's only fair to want to play every game.

i know we all say that no player is bigger than the club he plays for,but somehow i think that the club will never be the same again,dare i say it but MESSI WAS BARCA  and now i think of the word.
TIMBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

yes,i think there is an iceberg ahead for the once great F.C BARCELONA.

Clubs & by extension fans have been taken for a ride.

This utter farce is just the latest embarrassment.

In answer to loul ,"why doesnt he play for nothing " in proffesional sport i have never heard of this happening ,let alone in the most popular sport in the world ,lets keep this real .

He had agreed to take half of his previous salary ,but still no deal could be reached ,cut the guy some slack .

if i was Messi I would go to Newell's and come back in January

brain dead jockeys     07 Aug 21 02:30

I could take and appreciate your point if you weren't so dismissive and disrespectful of Ronaldo.
The little discussed fact which sorts out Messi from Ronaldo is that by far Ronnie has scored more knockout CL goals then Messi.  By far.
As for Serie A being discredited by you your erroneous use of language is laughable.  "Farm league my rss.
Messi is a wean compared to Ronaldo.
"I want a transfer - you sold my best pal"!   

According to Guillam Belligue he did offer to reduce wage to 50% of what it was but quite what the credibility of that is who knows...also realistically it should have been reducing significantly at this stage of his career anyway if it was more than 2 year deal ?

wanted to leave 12 month back ?

got to feel sorry for the multi millionaire

Messi to wear the number 30 shirt at PSG, doesn't want to upset his mate Neymar.

bit of a drift today?

Newell's, or Barca B, or do nothing, for six months, then return

if he really wants to stay he could

Currently in the air on his way to Paris–Le Bourget Airport and he isn't flying in for the croissants ......

last PSG price matched 1.28

was about 1.06 when I went to bed last night and has been matched at 1.02

might sign for Paris FC in Ligue 2, they have middle eastern backers too

1st Giuseppe Cassioli 7/1
Chased leaders, niggled along over 3f out, ridden to challenge and led 1f out, ran on well final furlong op 4/1

Won today at Wolverhampton

He also drifted in the market ......

Aug 9, 2021 -- 3:08PM, Angoose wrote:

Currently in the air on his way to Paris–Le Bourget Airport and he isn't flying in for the croissants ......

Let's see if this plane exists and lands, they were talking about him being in the air on his way to Paris over 4 hours ago. Maybe he's hang-gliding his way in

I remember a mate of mine running in a charity marathon.  Several finishers ( other dads ) started greeting like old women when they crossed the finish line.  My mate's laddie turned to his Ma and "Said Dad's not going to greet like that is he"?
I wonder If Messi's bairns feel the same ambarassment?
What a fcking whimp! 

He's just been spotted in La Couple ordering steak tartare with Île flottante for desert.

drifting again

no transfer matched at 4.8

Messi's private jet en route to Argentina apparently

surprised Newell's aren't shorter, it's the obvious move

he has said in the past that ending his career there would be his dream

there was a banner at Newell's last match "Messi: Your dream is our hope"

Messi once took off his shirt after scoring for Barca and there was a Maradona 10 Newell's shirt underneath

I think it was when Diego died (Maradona played briefly for Newell's at the end of his career)

maybe fantasy would be a better translation than hope "Tu sueno es nuestra illusion"

your dream is our fantasy

he's 34 how much longer does he plan on playing

he has said he wants to go to Newell's while still at a high level

go there for a couple for years and retire or go there and return to Barca when he can

Newell's aren't shighte, they won a league in 2013

maybe he would fancy playing in the libertadores too

argentinian players always go back home when they retire

i can't think of any exceptions

What a load of old codswallop this has been. If you want to hear about great players being treated badly then read a little football history.

Tom Finney, who has died aged 91, was perhaps the most complete British footballer of all time, yet he failed to win a single major honour for either club or country. Blessed with exquisite balance, skill and tactical intelligence, he played the game with a grace – or indeed good grace – given to very few: he was never booked, sent off or even ticked off by referees. Stanley Matthews may have been the public's favourite, but to purists Finney was the greater all-rounder.

In the era of the maximum wage and before players enjoyed freedom of contract, there were many single-club players. So integral did Finney become to Preston North End, staying there from the age of 14 until retirement at 38, that when he went the club virtually went with him, relegated to the second division, never to return.

His brilliance inspired and often carried the team. Bill Shankly, an established right-half for Preston when Finney joined (and later manager of Liverpool), said of his friend: "Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age … even if he had been wearing an overcoat." It was classic Shankly hyperbole, though few who saw Finney play would disagree with the sentiment.

Finney had a glittering career, but little silverware to show for it – the price he paid for loyalty. The only medals he collected were for the 1941 Wartime cup (not regarded as a full football honour), when Preston beat Arsenal 2-1, and the 1951 Second Division championship.

He even remained loyal to Preston when the Italian prince Roberto Lanza di Trabia made him an unimaginable offer to play for his team, Palermo, in Sicily. The prince had seen Finney play for England while they were touring Italy in 1952, and was so impressed he offered him a £10,000 signing-on fee, wages of £130 a month plus a bonus of up to £100 a game, a Mediterranean villa, a sports car and unlimited travel to and from Italy for his family. At the time, Finney was earning £14 a week with Preston (reduced to £12 in the summer close-season) plus a bonus of £2 for a win and £1 for a draw. To top up his wages, England's best footballer ran a plumbing business on the side.

The club refused the transfer outright, even when a £30,000 fee was offered as compensation. Its desperation to hold on to Finney became apparent just a year after he retired. Deprived of its most inspirational figure, this historic small-town club – founder members of the Football League in 1888 and its first-ever champions – went into long-term decline.

The deal is done .......

Lionel Messi has agreed a deal with Paris St-Germain to join the French club following his shock exit from Barcelona, says BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague.

The deal is subject to a medical.

Just been spotted in the Jardin du Luxembourg on his skateboard ......

man did land on the moon
the climate is warming
covid does exist
messi is leaving barca

THE DEAL IS OFF
SOMEONE JUST TOLD HIM THAT THEY DON'T SPEAK SPANISH IN FRANCE

When Ian Rush returned from Juventus and was asked how it didn`t work out, he said, "It was like living in a foreign country".

I'll respond sparrow.  Thanks for your first class post about one of the top five all time greats of English football.
Is it true he made his full league debut for Preston having already won an FA Cup medal with them?