Football is a funny game, on and off the field. It is safe to assume that with the ever rising stakes in the world of football, anything is possible, and yes we mean anything! Recently it was reported that Lionel Messi’s representative were in talks with Manchester City and Chelsea over a possible move following his fall out with Barcelona’s boss Luis Enrique and the ongoing unrest in the boardrooms of Barcelona. It was also reported that the Financial Fair Play would hinder any such move from the aforementioned clubs.
The latest to follow a series of strong rumors is Lionel Messi may be Old Trafford bound and that will be a masterstroke if pulled through by Louis Van Gaal and Ed Woodward. Comments made by Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or ceremony where he claimed that he is unsure where he will be playing next year has again set the rumor mills ringing. Let’s see is it possible for Manchester United to break the bank and bring Lionel Messi at Old Trafford.
Financial Muscle definitely in Manchester United’s favor
While Chelsea, PSG and Manchester City are facing Financial Fair Play hurdles behemoths such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United can definitely put the money on the table for Messi. The two most likely candidates to put the astronomical amount on table are Real Madrid and Manchester United, and while Real have Ronaldo and the rivalry with Barca, United is the likely club which can afford Lionel Messi.
Recent Commercial Deals
Manchester United has been aggressively signing global and regional partnerships across the globe. The Marketing team at United is world renowned at getting the money in the bank. With umpteen regional partnerships, they have also signed two enormous commercial deals with Chevrolet for 53 million pound sterling per season and with adidas for 75 million pound sterling per season (to begin with 2015-16 season), they have all the cash flow in place to get Messi for around 200 million pound sterling.
Messi an ‘adidas’ athlete
As mentioned above adidas will be the kit partner for Manchester United from 2015-16 campaign. Sports Merchandise is a big money spinner in the industry, Messi being one of the biggest athletes globally backed by Manchester United which is one of the biggest clubs in the world, adidas may put its financial muscle behind the move as it will be a big revenue generating opportunity for them too.
Physical Nature of English game
Cristiano Ronaldo achieved his unprecedented success even in English Premier League where he was subject to flying tackles from his opponents, will Messi like the idea of playing in a physically challenging and aggressive Premier League is something we will have to see.
Will the location matter to Lio Messi
When a football player moves, he moves with his entire entourage. With Messi being a global superstar, the location might also matter. In the past we have seen players choosing London as their favorite destination due to its location and weather, and this may act as a hindrance to his rumored move to Manchester United.
May be Messi just wants to stamp his authority on Barcelona
Messi is probably building his case on similar lines to what Ronaldo did last year while he got a bumper contract renewal on his existing deal. Lio Messi did express his concern while Neymar made his way to Camp Nou, and ensured that he got a better deal to make him the highest paid player in Barcelona. With his ongoing tussle with Luis Enrique and an impending Presidential election in Barcelona, this could very well be a move to stamp his authority on the club.
So as we wait and watch this space for more news on Lionel Messi’s next destination in the summer of 2015, it will be interesting to see if he eventually makes the move from Camp Nou. We believe that he should move to another club in the interest of all stakeholders involved, but will we ever see Magicial Messi weaving his magic as a Manchester United player? The next few months will get us our answer.