Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has said it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Messi made a move to the premier league.
After rumours were circulating that Messi was wanting to leave Barcelona during the summer, Man City was reportedly chasing him.
In the end, he ended up staying (obviously), but when his contract expires at the end of this season, he will become a free agent, unless he signs another contract with Barcelona.
However, if he does end up leaving for another club, particularly a Premier League one, Tebas says it could be damaging for Messi.
“We’ve been lucky to enjoy him for so many years but Messi should think very carefully about what he does next,” he said to AFP.
“If Messi left Barcelona, that reputation he has now and that has worked so well for him would be very damaged.
“It’s true he could get a better offer financially but the reputation he has after more than 20 years, I think he has to hold onto that.”
Reports suggest that Messi would likely end up at Manchester City, who have pursued him previously. Because of their reputation as one of the Premier Leagues hottest teams, and their very deep pockets, it’s not that crazy to think Messi could end up there.
Tebas continued: “It wouldn’t be a drama. Cristiano Ronaldo left, Neymar left. Neymar went to PSG and I haven’t seen the French league reaching a super level because of him.
“That’s the reality. People who think the players are the ones who define a competition are wrong and I’m glad they think that way because they won’t grow.”
Its only a matter of time before Messi retires anyways (within a few years), because he is 33 years old after all. Football fans would love to see him in another league, just to see if he can keep up with the arguably higher level of football.
In reality, he is likely to end his career where it started – at Barcelona, but time will tell.
Scotty ✅
