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One-on-one: Where should Messi go?

Editor’s note: This one-on-one was published before Lionel Messi announced on Friday he would be staying with FC Barcelona after the club refused to transfer the him. 

Manchester City- By Allan Kabese

Who would’ve thought this would ever happen? For anyone with remote knowledge of what happens in the soccer world, this is the biggest news in sports in a very long time.

Lionel Messi, the greatest player of this generation and arguably the greatest of all-time, has decided to leave his lifelong club, FC Barcelona. Messi reportedly has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free at the end of every season.

The 33-year-old Argentinian had been with Barca since he joined its youth ranks at 13 years old.

After breaking all the club’s goal scoring, assist and appearances for a forward records and winning over 30 percent of the club’s trophies, he has decided to call it quits.

He is now linked to multiple clubs in Europe and even his boyhood club in Argentina, Newell’s

Old Boys. However, very few teams make sense for him at this point in his career.

There are two teams that are legitimate contenders to sign Messi: Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Manchester City is clearly the best option for Messi. The Premier League is the most popular and arguably most entertaining league in the world. Messi would join a league he has done well against in European competition with 26 goals and six assists in 34 games.

By making this decision, Messi would be joining his former Barcelona coach in Pep Guardiola. The two teams share similar characteristics in their play styles which would not be a drastic change for Messi. He would also join his good friend and fellow countryman, Sergio Aguero.

The physicality would not be an issue for him, as he is used to getting pulled and kicked throughout games regardless of who is facing him. 

Paris Saint-Germain, which Miguel is arguing for, will not and should not be Messi’s choice. 

The French league is very weak and would prove to be no competition for him. The French capital club could have a legitimate shot at winning the league with its backup squad. Other than last year, PSG has consistently underperformed in European competition.

A player like Lionel Messi would potentially give Manchester City a shot at winning a Champions League, something its owner has spent hundreds of millions on.

Paris Saint-Germain- By Miguel Agyei

World-famous footballer Lionel Messi reportedly wants to get out of the Catalonia giants FC Barcelona. The 33-year-old midfielder has served his time at the club for 16 seasons and now wants out due to management issues with the club and not being able to compete for titles in the recent seasons. 

This season Barca failed to win the Spanish La Liga title when they had a gap on bitter rivals Real Madrid. And to make matters worse, they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League loss to Bayern Munich in a humiliating 8-2 scoreline.

The six-time Ballon D’or winner has an expansive trophy cabinet with 10 La Liga titles, six Copa Del Rey Spanish Cups, four UEFA Champions League titles, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.

With Messi on his way out of the club, many are speculating what his next move will be. 

PSG is a viable option for Messi. Ex-Barcelona teammate Neymar Jr. currently plays for the Paris team. Additionally, PSG has many young talented players, including Kylian Mbappe, who helped France win the World Cup in 2018. 

PSG can afford the transfer fee for Messi to move from Barcelona to Paris. After all, they paid 225,000 million euros for Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris and they wouldn’t be afraid to pull it off again. 

PSG, who made the 2020 Champions League final is desperately hoping to win the title, and adding Messi’s caliber of talent to their midfield could surely give them the push to bring the big ears cup home to Paris for the first time ever.

Additionally, if Messi is able to leave Barca and win the Champions League with PSG, this would end the debate if he is the greatest of all time compared to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

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