Why Barcelona are basically Messi FC | OneFootball

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player in the history of FC Barcelona and it’s no secret he’s consequently one of the most influential figures at the club.

But a few stories have emerged from Spain this weekend which – assuming they’re true – give us a snapshot of just how much power Messi wields in the corridors of the Camp Nou.

The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer and yet to officially sign an extension, but it seems he still gets to call the shots in everything from transfers to the team’s tactics.

For example, Diario Gol claim striker Paco Alcácer would have been shown the door in the summer were it not for Messi’s insistence that he be kept on, and it’s a decision which appears to have paid off in recent weeks. Alcácer netted a brace in the win over Sevilla before the international break and had a good game again on Saturday as Barça won 3-0 away at Leganés.

The Blaugrana weren’t at their brilliant best in that game – Ernesto Valverde admitted the scoreline was “excessive” afterwards – but it was apparently Messi’s idea to rotate the team with a big game coming up in the Champions League against Juventus on Wednesday, and it’s an idea which was ultimately vindicated.

Diario Gol also say Messi has told the club to end their pursuit of Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and turn their attention Lyon sensation Nabil Fekir instead. The 24-year-old Moroccan – who Real Madrid are also rumoured to be keeping tabs on – has scored 12 goals in 15 games so far this season and Messi believes he’d be cheaper and easier to obtain than Coutinho, whose summer move to Catalunya failed to materialise despite the best efforts of both parties.

Messi is also said to be keen on the idea of having Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva as a future team-mate but much less enthusiastic about the prospect of Antoine Griezmann joining him at Camp Nou.

It seems likely Griezmann will leave Atlético in the summer and even Valverde has refused to rule out the possibility of Barcelona being his next destination, but Spanish outlet Don Balon say Messi worries signing the Frenchman on big wages could harm the club’s pay structure and also seriously threaten Luis Suárez’s place in the team.

Who knows whether there’s any truth behind all this speculation but if there is, it doesn’t seem like Messi has any intention of leaving Barça anytime soon, even if all that’s missing from his next contract is his signature.