The departure of Lionel Messi is touted as the end of Barcelona’s glorious era, but not a few are even convinced that this is a new cycle of the Blaugrana’s new era of greatness.
It is undeniable that Messi’s 17-year era, from 2004-2021, was the most successful. Barcelona won 35 titles, consisting of 10 league titles, 7 Copa del Rey titles, 8 Spanish Super Cup titles, 4 Champions League trophies, 3 European Super Cups and 3 Club World Cups.
In that time span, Messi played 778 games, scored 672 goals and 266 assists. Many Barcelona records he broke or exceeded, which will likely be difficult to break in the future.
Even so, all of Messi’s nicks do not mean it can’t or impossible to be surpassed by other players. Here are five factors why Barcelona could be greater or more successful in the era after Messi left:
1. Opportunity to start from scratch
Times like today, Messi is no longer at Barcelona, it’s certain to come whether it’s leaving or because of retirement. Messi will not defend Barcelona is an inevitable certainty, considering he is 34 years old.
Now, with the departure of Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, the opportunity to reorganize the strength of the team can begin more quickly. The beginning of the third decade of the millennium could be a momentum for Barcelona to improve or reorganize the club system.
The phrase ‘no player is greater than the club’ needs to be echoed again. Messi’s big name, which seems to beat the big name of Barcelona, has collapsed. Barcelona must prove without Messi they are still a champion club.
2. Cuts Player Addiction
The fact that Barcelona’s representation of Messi and Messi is identical to Barcelona is hard to deny. This ‘Little Argentina’ magic is simply extraordinary. Statistics prove Barcelona’s game has dropped dramatically when Messi is absent.
Throughout August 2017 to February 2020, for example, Messi appeared 129 times, 88 of which ended in wins and eight defeats. In the same period when Messi was absent, Barcelona won 15 and lost seven.
Barcelona’s winning percentage decreased from 68.2 percent to 57.7 percent, while the losing percentage rose from 6.2 percent to 26.9 percent. Therefore, this is a momentum to cut down on excessive dependence on one player, namely Messi.
3. Team Collectivity
Barcelona’s football philosophy is strong. Without Messi, also Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, then Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o it would still be Barcelona. Star after star comes and goes, but Barcelona will be the same.
The era where one star overpowered another player’s bright rays was over. Now Barcelona can put forward the collective team again, not only in terms of the game technically but in terms of the togetherness of all elements of the team.
This big job depends on coach Ronald Koeman. If Barcelona’s game is not as exciting as when Messi was around, Koeman will be under constant pressure. The 2021/2022 season, of course, the shadow of Messi will still be a scourge for Barcelona.
4. The Club’s Debt Burden dwindles
Messi’s income at Barcelona is estimated at 141 million euros per year. It consists of salaries, bonuses and other incentives. This figure makes Barcelona spend about 110 percent of the club’s income on player salaries.
Because the salary burden is not symmetrical with income, Barcelona has a lot of ‘saving’ debt. In fact, the figure is estimated at more than one billion euros. Barcelona’s debt is called Planet Sport greater than the debt of several countries.
The departure of Messi, although the business impact on the club, the club’s cash becomes lighter. Barcelona’s accumulated debt burden can also be reduced. Barcelona’s financial policies can at least be reorganized from scratch again.
5. A New Era of Pedri Youth
There are robots in the 2020/2021 season. It is Pedro Gonzalez Lopez aka Pedri who is considered a robot because he appears relentlessly throughout the season.
A total of 73 games played by Pedri last season, with details of 52 matches with Barcelona, and 21 with the Spanish national team.
Pedri is not Messi nor Xavi. He is another small figure who marks that Barcelona is not running out of talent. This season, Barcelona also has a mix of talented young players, such as Ansu Fati, Frankie de Jong, and Eric Garcia.
Will Barcelona win the title without Messi this season? No one knows for sure, but Pedri and colleagues his age could become the new foundation of this Catalan club. After all, Messi graduated from La Masia, which means he can be produced again.
