La Liga president Javier Tebas has made known in an interview with Argentine publication Ole his eagerness for Lionel Messi to return to Barcelona.
Odd but one can still recall that it wasn’t only too long ago that the Spanish league president didn’t even care enough to even consider lifting a finger to look into the FFP constraint that Barcelona were stumped with then that had resulted in Messi leaving Camp Nou last year as the club were in no position to renew his contract.
In fact, in retrospect both the La Liga and Barcelona presidents were too fidgety then with their hmm’s and haa’s over the issue. As a result, the 35-year-old Barca legend joined PSG, which welcomed him most warmly with open arms, and he accordingly signed a two-year contract, which will expire at the end of the ongoing campaign.
With the Argentina captain set to become a free agent in the summer, a return to Barcelona has been touted heavily. And Tebas has now openly admitted that he hopes to see Messi back in Spanish football as it would be good for everyone involved.
Now with all the fogginess cleared up by Paris Saint-Germain and with the former Barcelona legend in blistering form again and chirping away like the proverbial bird, the La Liga president actually has the gall to aim a clearly misplaced dig at PSG and Ligue 1, arguing that the number of fans tuning in to watch Messi play in the French top flight is much less than what it used to be when the diminutive Argentine magician was mesmerising the multitudes at Barcelona.
“I think that Messi is not only missed in La Liga, but he is missed in football, because the French league is what it is, right? I think that no matter how good he is at PSG, he is followed much less than when he was at FC Barcelona,” Tebas said.
“Therefore, football misses Lionel Messi and we hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again. I don’t see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don’t see it.”
The La Liga president admitted ruefully that he missed seeing Messi in action and hoped to see him back at Barcelona, saying:
“At Barca, within La Liga, I did see him much more often. I miss him, I don’t know if he will have one last dance, that will depend on him. I hope he comes back. Above all, it would also be good for him to return to Spanish football, especially to the team that saw him born.”
Tebas even went so far as to say that Barcelona and Messi parting ways last year was a mistake, saying:
“Because I think it was a mistake even for him, in my opinion, to break that marriage, that alliance since he was born in football, because it would have helped him a lot with continuity, like the Messi-Barca brand, which is very important for a player.”
While Barcelona are hoping to re-sign Messi next summer, reports suggest that the latter could head to the MLS. A decision on his future is expected after the FIFA World Cup.
More importantly, the Parisian giant now has even greater incentives to keep Messi in the French capital as La Pulga has evidently rediscovered his magical Barcelona form this 2022-23 football season, effortlessly recording 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions so far. Beedless to say also, PSG would be most anxious not to lose Messi’s stellar playmaking moves feeding both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. It’s obvious Messi is the wizard with the wand.
Accordingly, L’Equipe’s Loïc Tanzi (h/t PSG Hub) reported on Wednesday that Messi and PSG are already in talks for a contract extension. Apparently the Argentine wants to win a major trophy in Paris, a vision that pleases the board, so much so that on the financial side of a possible deal, sporting advisor Luis Campos and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi are working on the financial aspect with the aim of getting Messi’s nod of approval before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Clearly, should Messi continue in the French capital, a return to FC Barcelona is out of the cards, unfortunately for the likes of Tebas and Laporta. Heading to the United States would also not be possible, considering the veteran forward would be 37 or 38 if he signed a two- or three-year deal.