Yesterday saw Lionel Messi call time on what is probably the most glorious and successful club career for any individual footballer, ever. It was a tear-jerking ceremony, and if you didn’t get emotional from it, well then you just don’t like this sport (or you’re a hard core Real Madrista).
Up next for the FC Barcelona legend of all legends is a move to Paris Saint-Germain and that situation escalated quite quickly. (Or so it seems, as this was actually all in the works for awhile already)
As the greatest club career for an individual footballer now officially comes to an end, very proud to say that I have seen Lionel Messi play in person at a FC Barcelona home match, when I went to Catalonia in 2018. #MessiForever #Messi #MessiLeavingBarca #Barca pic.twitter.com/770AOEua3G
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) August 9, 2021
Messi is set to be unveiled at the Eiffel Tower in the coming days. Some reports claim the unveiling could come as early as tomorrow (Tuesday), but it all hinges of course on how smoothly and quickly the 34-year-old Argentine completes his paperwork and finalizes his medical.
That should (if all goes according to plan) get wrapped up today (Monday) which would then set up the world’s most iconic landmark (and center piece of the PSG branding) to light up in red, white and blue.
It should also be a massive party, and I can’t think of any other place I would rather be on a Tuesday night. The Eiffel Tower did light up in the color scheme of PSG (and France itself) when Neymar moved over from Barcelona to become the most expensive player of all time in 2017.
PSG will unveil Lionel Messi at the Eiffel Tower in the coming days, sources have told @LaurensJulien ?? pic.twitter.com/FCZhTNLz6H
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 8, 2021
A Messi reunion with Neymar, plus the presence of Kylian Mbappe, well you can see why PSG supporters are ready to party right now. But before the joy comes the sorrow, and Messi fought back the tears on Sunday, as he said:
“I was convinced to stay here at Barcelona. This is my home, our home.
“I wanted to stay at Barca and it was the plan… and today I’ve to say goodbye after my entire life here.”
“There was no problem with Barcelona, really. I was OK with the club on every detail. We had an agreement on everything, I was convinced to stay at Barca.
“But it was not possible because of Liga rules.”
It’s really sad in Catalonia, for all involved, it couldn’t work out. But now it’s time to turn the page, and it’s going to be a huge week in the city of light.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
