It was the first league title without Lionel Messi. Now Barcelona’s next goal is to bring romance back.
Barcelona topped La Liga for the first time in four years. Barcelona won 4-2 against Espanyol in the 34th round of Spanish La Liga in the 2022-23 season held at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain on the 15th at 4:00 am (hereinafter referred to as Korean time). Barcelona added 3 points and confirmed the championship regardless of the outcome of the remaining games.
It was a thrilling victory. Barcelona took the win early, scoring three goals in the first half alone. Espanyol, who was in danger of relegation, fought hard, but it was not enough to catch up with Barcelona. It was a more meaningful victory because it was the ‘Catalan Derby’, and Barcelona players and coaching staff held a ceremony around the center circle after the match.
It is the first league title achieved without Messi. Barcelona had to watch rivals such as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid smile for four years after their last win in the 2018-19 season. In the meantime, even Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and it seemed that a long dark period was coming to the club.
The person who saved the team was another ‘legend’ coach Xavi Hernandez. Coach Xavi, who returned to Barcelona in 2021, quickly rectified the atmosphere, and this season, he continued his strength in the league and even presented the league championship cup. Despite the disastrous results in the European competition, the club is preparing to renew the contract with coach Xavi.
Now I’m trying to bring Messi. Barcelona’s drive to return to Messi was a major issue that heated up the second half of this season. Despite rumors of transfers to other clubs such as Inter Miami in the US and Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, the prevailing view is that Messi will return to Barcelona.
Here, the president of Barcelona also put a wedge in. Chairman Juan Laporta said in an interview with Spain’s Catalan radio ‘RAC1’ on the 15th, “A contract with Messi? We will discuss it. I talked to Messi about the situation that happened. We texted each other and sent text messages to each other. I received it. We have a relationship,” he said, exchanging opinions related to the transfer with Messi.
He also expressed confidence, saying, “Messi had some unpleasant situations with the fans at PSG. Barcelona is Barcelona, and this is Messi’s home. Barcelona can compete with Saudi Arabia and everywhere else.”먹튀검증
Earlier, in an interview with Spain’s JIJANTES FC, President Laporta said, “We will do everything we can to bring Messi to Barcelona,” and said that the biggest goal of the upcoming summer is to bring Messi.
Vice-Chairman Rafa Yuste also contributed his strength. In an interview with Dani Carousel, a journalist from Spain’s Cadena Serre on the 15th, he showed an optimistic attitude about Messi’s return, saying, “I’m sure Messi is very happy. I hope Messi will come back.”
The stumbling block is the financial problem. Barcelona have the homework to cut spending and increase income to sign Messi. La Liga president Javier Tebas mentioned Barcelona’s economic limitations, saying, “There is still time, but they have to cut wages. They have to reduce the size of their salaries to register (new) players.”
However, on the 12th, he hinted that Messi’s return to Barcelona is possible, saying, “Sergio Busquets leaving Barcelona is the beginning of Messi’s return to Barcelona.”