Lionel Messi's potential Barcelona return takes major hit as LaLiga make fresh FFP ruling: Reports
Barcelona’s hopes of bringing back Lionel Messi have taken a hit after LaLiga made a fresh Financial Fair Play (FFP) ruling (via Football Transfers). The league rejected a €100 million VIP seat deal that the club was relying on to comply with the rules. The ruling serves as an effective kill on Barca’s financial plans for the summer, a list that has included a sentimental return for Messi.
The Spanish giants were relying on the projected revenue from the VIP deal to recognize the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. However, LaLiga say the transaction does not feature in the financial documentation the club put forward. In an unusually explicit nine-point release, the league invalidated the deal. It also alleged that Barcelona submitted misleading financial data.
Without that €100 income they still exceed the FFP threshold, and this threatens future signings and puts existing registrations under serious scrutiny. Olmo and Victor could also be ineligible to play next season due to the rules set by La Liga.
Those plans to bring Lionel Messi back for the grand reopening of the renovated Camp Nou are now looking impossible. Despite what might have been a romantic return, the Argentine appears destined to remain with Inter Miami.
Kevin-Prince Boateng questions Lionel Messi’s influence on Barcelona youth
Kevin-Prince Boateng has reflected on his time with the Barcelona team of 2019, revealing that Lionel Messi’s relaxed approach to training was damaging for younger players. Boateng explained how Messi’s limited presence in pre-match build-up had unforeseen consequences on impressionable teammates.
Speaking on 'Rio Ferdinand Presents', the ex-Ghana international opened up about the fact that Messi did not very often get involved in full warm-ups. He said (via Mirror):
"Two minutes before we go out, he just stands up, closes his boots, and goes out. The warm up for the Champions League game against Liverpool, [we did the] crossbar challenge and then he goes back inside.
"[The] coach made the last adjustment, [Messi] is on the phone face-timing [and] 30 seconds before we go out he just comes and puts his jacket on and BOOM, goal, goal, goal."
Boateng continued:
"That's what the young players did in Barcelona: Malcom, Dembele, they looked at him and they didn't train so then going to the game, they got injured. He's the only one in the world that can do that."
Boateng played just the briefest cameo at Camp Nou, playing just four games at the time. He notably joined the Catalan side on loan from Sassuolo, getting the opportunity to play alongside Lionel Messi.
