A week ago today we enjoyed what, for many, is considered the best World Cup final in history. A final that thousands of culés lived in a special way. Personally, at home, I was surprised to see us celebrate Messi's goal in the 107th minute of the game, in the middle of the second half of extra time, with shouts, jumps and hugs almost as if it were a Barça final. A fact that proves once again that there is nothing that is capable of shaking emotions like the greatest sport in the world does.
With the passing of the days, the slow reflection of the historic milestone achieved by Leo Messi and the Argentine team in Qatar has reopened the deep wound that Messi's abrupt, unexpected and surprising departure from Barça caused in many Barcelona fans. And, inevitably, it leads us once again to assess the high cost that losing a unique player like Messi has entailed for the club at the time and in the manner in which we lost him. A very high cost that has effects in three dimensions: sports, economic and strategic.
On the sporting side, we talked about the cost of not being able to take advantage of the talent of the best player in history to make the best possible transition into a new era. There was no better way to maximize the team's competitiveness than keeping Messi as leader, under the orders of a Xavi who surely would have known how to take advantage, while the generational change in each of the lines accelerated.
On the economic side, a cost that is also high because, as has been written and explained many times, Messi has always generated and generates much more than it costs. Even when his annual contract was much higher than it once could have been, he was willing to make sacrifices to make his dream of retiring possible at the club of his life. To give an example, last year, Michael Jordan's sports brand exceeded the figure of 5,000 million dollars in sales for the first time and the best basketball player of all time generated, in just one year, around double of revenue than he generated as a player during his entire career.
And on the strategic side, an incalculable cost because making the one club man a reality and formalizing the link between Leo and Barça for life was a unique opportunity. Messi was already a legend before the World Cup but as of Sunday for many he has entered the category of divine mythology. As Víctor Hugo Morales, the legendary Uruguayan narrator, recounted on Sunday just after the penalty shootout, “God is Maradona and Messi is the Messiah. In heaven Diego and on earth Messi. Now was when Messi and Barca, Barca and Messi could start to jointly maximize the value of being linked for life. Far beyond his sports career. At the moment, it will not be possible because Barça has not lived up to the historical dimension of the figure of Messi.
Hopefully we will be able to take perspective, and make a proper analysis of everything. And may the conclusions help us understand that, also in the world of emotions, good will, barbecue and determination are not enough to face the complex challenges and new opportunities that arise in the world of football and sports. sport. In this case, the most important thing in any life project has been missing: vision, good planning and talent. Leo Messi loves Barça like anyone else. And Barça has been and will always be his home. All the efforts of Barcelona fans to make possible the reconstruction of a link that should never have been broken will be few. Leo Messi deserves it, Barça deserves it and the Catalans deserve it.
