A lot has been said regarding the decision of Lionel Messi to stay in Barcelona. A lot of people think he is scared to test himself in another league and he feared that due to his age he might not be able to produce as much as he would have wanted to, so Barcelona is a convenient place for him and the Spanish league makes it easier. I laughed. La Liga is not as easy as we make it out to be and seeing how Atletico won the league should give us a clue of what's to come in La Liga going forward.
I am not surprised to see him stay at Barcelona but a lot of people expected him to move on to 'test' himself in another league. Let's be realistic, I love Ronaldo and I love Messi but we should not get in the way of reason while not being objective. I like being objective and would be sharing my views on this situation. He is not staying back because the league would suffer. Of course, no league would want to lose someone like Messi because it might make it less more of an attraction to others players. I know how Ronaldo made people show interest in Seria A, in Italy. So, yes that would be one of the persuasion for him to stay back in Spain but there is another reason why I feel he stayed back.
Every player is different and this is why I feel it is always wrong to compare them. Ronaldo and Messi have achieved a lot in football for the football world to have a divisive camp within itself. I know it is good for the news and the comparison to spur both players on but let's stop saying that Messi is scared to test himself in another league. I don't think he is. What's to be scared of? Will that take away the amazing goals he has scored on the big stages? Will that make his skills to be doubted and make people question his genius?
Ronaldo is an amazing athlete and we need to respect his choice in trying to test himself everywhere. Not every player can be like him or Zlatan Ibrahimovic who loves to go everywhere just to keep their motivation level high. Messi is not like that and he has nothing else to prove to anyone, not even to me because I admire Ronaldo or what do you expect from a Manchester United fan? Hahahaha. Is it right for me to then say Ronaldo went to Juventus and why not to Manchester United that was struggling at that time? It doesn't add up.
Are we going to say that Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were also scared of taking on challenges? Maldini too? Come on, let's face it, some players make certain decisions for the sake of their families not necessarily because they are scared. Messi loves Barcelona and his family is well settled there so you expect him to jeopardize that to prove a statement to people that wants to see how he would fare at 34 years of age in another demanding league like the Premier League? Come on, let's be real.
I knew he would stay back and for you to know his decision stems from the family front, how else would he want to take a pay cut to stay back when Manchester City or even PSG can offer him a fortune since they have the financial capacity? Why is he not milking in on the cash? He is a free agent and he would have received another mouth-watering signing-on fee if he decides to move but he chose to stay back. That's not fear but commitment.
In this era of football, loyalty is always betrayed and when you see someone trying to stay loyal for many other reasons, it should be applauded and not tagged as fear. Messi is not scared because football runs in the blood of that man. I believe he can thrive anywhere even in the demanding English Premier League. It would be challenging for him, yes, playing day in day out, unlike the UEFA Champions League format where you play an English opposition just a couple of times but his footballing brain would make him adapt and find ways to beat his oppositions.
He had pledged his loyalty to Barcelona and adding 5 more years to his age, which means his contract will run out when he is 39 years of age. He has been consistently producing day in and day out. Yes, he had his off days as with any other kind of player too, even my favourite Ronaldo but that's for you to know he is as human as anyone else. There is no certainty in football, I get that, so he might struggle in another league but he will always bounce back because you don't stay on top of your game for over a decade like these dynamic duos if your level of motivation is not high.
He is staying at Barcelona for another 5 years and that doesn't make him less of a good player because he decided to stay for other reasons that are more important to him than the spectacle of fans all over the world.
Thank you for your time.
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