“What more do you need, Lionel Messi?”

Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 9:30 AM• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 09:49

Lionel Messi may have played his last final in the Barcelona outfit on Saturday evening. The attacker had an important share in the profit of the Copa del Rey at the expense of Athletic Club (0-4) with two goals, but afterwards he was alone Barça TV to speak and questions about his future, logically, remained on the official club channel. The media in Spain thus waited in vain for clarity from Messi’s mouth and meanwhile impatience and hope are beginning to mingle.

“Messi, come out and say that you stay”, he added on Sunday Marca to read. “You smiled like never before, seconds before taking the Copa del Rey for the first time as captain. This Barcelona is a championship team and the project is very promising. If for Messi the sporting part is the most important and not the finances, then he has little reason to leave in two months. What more do you need, Messi? ”

Also Sport believes that the Copa del Rey win and the evolution of the team led by Ronald Koeman will be important factors in Messi’s decision. “The first prize in two years, the first prize for a number of players who have come to fruition this season, the first prize for Koeman and also the first prize for Joan Laporta in his second term as chairman. It was also seeing Messi again with a prize, something he will undoubtedly include in his decision about his future. The cup is holy water for a club where, from now on, there will be more peace when decisions are made. ”

Sportdirector José Maria Casanovas writes in his column on Sunday that he has high hopes for the continuity of Messi after June 30. “Barcelona needed such a success to prove that they have found their way up. From this moment on, Messi’s continuity can be seen as a certainty. He celebrated the cup as if it were the Champions League and he received the cup like a great champion. The joy, happiness and pride could be read on his face. ”

Jordi Punti, columnist of ASH, points out on Sunday that the Copa del Rey win could be the catalyst that dispels Messi’s doubts about his future. “It’s not an easy panorama. Messi has always said he wants to play for a club with a project for the future. Freely translated means that he wants to compete for the Champions League, a tournament that Barcelona has struggled with in recent years. Clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, both in the semi-finals, do meet this requirement. But the best things in life come unexpectedly. The arrival of Joan Laporta as chairman, for example, with an optimistic project. The presence of young and quality football players. ”

“That can cause Messi to suddenly have doubts, especially given his euphoria after winning the cup,” Punti emphasizes. “Financially speaking, it is not the best solution for Barcelona that a 34-year-old Messi stays on. The high salary blocks the arrival of a top purchase, but the emotional aspect predominates. And the latter can also influence Messi’s decision. Does he or does he not want to be the mentor of a new generation of footballers? Want to give confidence to teammates at a club that is his home? Just like Ronaldinho sixteen years ago with Messi himself. Or does he necessarily want to get used to a new league, a new country and a new club in the last years of his career? ”

“It has been a tough tournament for us”, Messi referred to the three extra extensions that Barcelona needed to reach the final. “It’s always great to win a prize. It is a great day for this group of players that deserved a happy moment. It is also special for me to be the captain of a club where I have played all my life and to receive this prize. It was strange to play a final without supporters, without the family being able to be there, but unfortunately it is the situation as it is. Now we will do everything we can to win the league title in a difficult year for us. ”

“Leo is the best footballer in the world, he is closely linked to Barcelona. He loves this club ”, Laporta emphasized afterwards. “I am convinced that he wants to stay with us. We are going to do everything we can, within the possibilities of the club, to keep him with us longer. It is our greatest wish. Today was a demonstration of his class. ”