Lionel Messi would have a new position and role in Xavi Hernandez’s four-man midfield system if he returns to the club this summer, it has been claimed.
The Argentine is out of contract on June 30 at Paris Saint Germain, and president Joan Laporta and his board are said to have been working on seeing him don Blaugrana again for more than the past 10 days.
Given the Catalans’ financial problems, they are also thinking up imaginative ways of paying Messi such as a low €200,000 ($216,000) yearly salary and then the proceeds of a farewell match and cut of merchandising tied to his name that could bring in anything from €100-200 million ($108-216 million).
Whatever they need to do to make the operation happen is not of any concern to Xavi, who will instead be charged with finding a way for his former teammate to fit into a first XI that has already struck the perfect balance and is on its way to a first La Liga title in four years through a 12-point lead over Real Madrid.
With Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski occupying those areas of the park respectively, there is no space for Messi on the right wing or as a false ‘9’ in a centre forward role where he previously operated at Camp Nou.
According to Mundo Deportivo, though, this won’t be an issue as Xavi would have other plans for Messi that entail him being one of the four midfielders in his successful system set up as a 4-3-3.
Messi could therefore take Gavi’s position as a false left winger who retreats to act as an ‘interior’ when Alejandro Balde or Jordi Alba charge up the wing from left back.
Or, alternatively, he could be placed as the interior right-sided midfielder that has support from double pivots Frenkie de Jong and, if he stays on past the expiry of his contract, captain Sergio Busquets.
Messi being the right-sided midfielder would complicate life for Pedri, who would probably not be axed and instead take someone else’s position to perhaps drop deeper alongside De Jong.
One thing is for sure, if Messi is either the false left winger or right-sided midfielder, someone among Gavi, Pedri, De Jong and Busquets is going to be left unhappy by reduced playing time.
Messi ‘Madness’ In Argentina As World Champions Play First Match
Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates will make a triumphant return in their homeland on Thursday when they play their first match since winning the World Cup in Qatar.
More than 1.5 million fans applied for 63,000 available tickets for the match against Central American minnows Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires.
Football-mad Argentines were out in even larger numbers following the Albiceleste’s dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over France in December. An estimated five million people thronged the streets of Buenos Aires a few days later for the trophy parade.
Such was the multitude that the parade had to be abandoned long before it reached central Buenos Aires as it was already hours behind schedule.
Messi had been widely expected to retire from international football after the final in Doha, in which he scored two goals and a shoot-out spot-kick, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward said he wanted to carry on a bit longer so he could wear the blue and white Argentina jersey as a world champion.
“He is in good shape, he wants to keep coming. When he tells me that he doesn’t feel good, we’ll see,” coach Lionel Scaloni said on Tuesday.
“At the moment he is happy with the national team.”
The expectation was slightly soured earlier this month when two men fired shots at a closed supermarket belonging to the family of Messi’s wife, before leaving a menacing message aimed at the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is a narco, he won’t take care of you,” said the handwritten message left on the ground, in reference to Pablo Javkin, the mayor of Messi’s hometown Rosario, around 320 kilometers north of Buenos Aires.
Messi, though, has taken it all in his stride, as his father pointed out.
“I spoke to the kid and he told me: ‘relax’,” Jorge Messi told reporters.
For the mayor of Rosario, it was more of a publicity stunt than a genuine threat.
“What story goes more quickly viral in the world than an attack on Messi?” said Javkin.
While it may not directly affect Messi, the incident did highlight a growing problem in the 35-year-old’s home town.
Rosario is a port city on the Parana river that has gradually become a nerve center for drug trafficking and the most violent city in Argentina, with 287 murders in 2022.
A party atmosphere is expected in Buenos Aires for the team’s competitive homecoming.
With 20,000 places in the 83,000-capacity stadium reserved for invitees, the remaining tickets were snapped up within two hours of going on sale.
The cheapest cost 12,000 pesos ($60) up to 49,000 pesos ($245), which is more than half the average monthly salary in the South American country.
Argentine football federation president Claudio Tapia said the body had received more than 130,000 requests for media accreditation, in a stadium that has capacity for just 344 journalists.
“We would love to be able to accommodate everyone, but we would need two … stadiums, just for journalists. The madness for Argentina is total,” said Tapia.
Those not lucky enough to get inside the stadium will at least be able to watch the match for free on television after the government decided to broadcast it freely.
Scaloni promised them is that the team would not rest on their laurels, regardless of the occasion or opponents.
“The aim is to keep playing at the same level,” he said.
“Now, it will be harder than ever because everyone will want to beat us.”
After Thursday’s match, Argentina will play the island of Curacao on Match 28 in Santiago del Estero.
