Lionel Messi’s contract situation with PSG has left a question in the minds of every soccer lover, which is will the World Champion continue to play for French Champions alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, or will he follow his biggest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps out of Europe or will he make a return to his home, the place where he became the Greatest of All Time, the place where he etched his name in history books, FC Barcelona.
Messi’s contract situation has been a public debate for quite a while now ever since the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner won the World Cup with Argentina. Messi’s contract with PSG ends in the summer but it has been reported that the Paris Club has already placed a new contract on his table keeping him at the club for another year with an option to extend for another year which would mean that Messi could play for PSG until 2025.
The Argentine’s agents have made it very clear from the very start that he won’t be rushed into any decision and will take his time to think about his next step. But this delay in Messi’s contract situation has kept many fans curious.
Lionel Messi has four options this summer as his PSG contract winds down 👀 pic.twitter.com/diwZ8Pdi1v
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 29, 2023
Lionel Messi won’t be short of options if he decides to part ways with the star-studded trio alongside Neymar and Mbappe. He could move out of Europe to Major League Soccer side, Inter Miami, which is owned by David Beckham who has always wanted to land the superstar at his club while Messi could also follow Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia as there were certain rumors about Al-Nassr’s rival club, Al-Hilal trying to land Messi.
While all of these options could be available to Messi, one place where he would really want to go and end his career at would be the place where he started it, Camp Nou. Barcelona fans have wanted Messi ever since he left the club in 2021 and the delay in Messi’s contract renewal has only given hope to the Catalan club fans of the homecoming of their star.
Fans react to Lionel Messi’s PSG contract situation
We went to Twitter to take a look at how Barca fans reacted to Messi’s ongoing contract situation:
We saw a fan who was pretty optimistic about Messi’s return to the Catalan club after moving to PSG in 2021. Messi holds the record for the most appearances for Barca with 678 apps while also being their highest goalscorer ever with 672 goals. Barca fans would want to reunite with their former star with whom they witnessed the best era in the history of the club.
They wrote: “He ain’t signing that shit, Fabrizio. He’s coming home!”
He ain’t signing that shit, Fabrizio. He’s coming home! pic.twitter.com/k2wTkqotKh
— Goated Culé🇦🇷 (@goated_cule) February 3, 2023
Another fan could be seen as angry with Barcelona’s decision of letting Messi go in 2021 and said that he won’t return to the club. Messi had to end his contract with Barcelona after an emotional farewell as the Catalan club could no longer pay his hefty wages due to their debt situation which meant they had to follow the La Liga regulations regarding wages.
They wrote: “He won’t come back to the team who made him leave…Laporta 👎👎”
He won’t come back to the team who made him leave…Laporta 👎👎
— Oana M (@OanaM2200) February 3, 2023
We could see a fan saying that FC Barcelona cannot afford Messi’s huge wages even if they get him on a free transfer. FC Barcelona is under a lot of debt and has to shave off their wage bills next summer to make any new signings.
They wrote: “Bro no. Barça can’t afford a operation like this. I know he would come free but his salary is impossible for Barça.”
Bro no. Barça can’t afford a operation like this. I know he would come free but his salary is impossible for Barça
— ℕ𝕒𝕤s💥⁵⁵ 🤍🤡 (@nasswtf) February 3, 2023
While FC Barcelona fans have been very vocal about their wish to reunite with the World Champion Messi, it remains to be seen what the Argentine decides for his future and what his next steps would be.
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