Yesterday I wrote about Pep Guardiola taking a shot at current Barcelona President Sandro Rosell. If that did not worry Barcelona fans, the news that Lionel Messi is also upset with Rosell should.
According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Messi is furious at Rosell for what he and his father consider a lack of support over the the tax-dodging accusations that have surrounded the superstar this summer.
Rosell and the Barca board of directors have unusually quiet since the news about the charges first broke; previously a president like Joan Laporta was the first line of defence for any Barcelona player with troubles.
There are starting to be whispers that maybe for the first time since he arrived at Barcelona as a 13 year-old, that Messi could be enticed to leave Barcelona. Things are not at that stage yet, but they appear to be certainly heading their way.
Rosell seems hell-bent in rebuilding Barcelona in his image, tearing down anything that Laporta and Guardiola built. Eric Abidal callously did not have his contract renewed at Barca, something he still does not understand. Add in the feeing that the club did not treat David Villa with any respect and the recent Guardiola comments and you get the sense that something is not right at the Camp Nou.
It’s still a big jump from that to the best player in the world leaving, but there is no doubt that there is a fracture in the relationship between the best player in the world and his club. And don’t forget that Rosell has already signed what he sees as the natural successor to Messi in Neymar.
Rosell and the Barcelona board need to repair their relationship with Messi, or the unthinkable will happen next summer; that Lionel Messi moves somewhere else.
