KEY POINTS

  • Lionel Messi wants to leave his club after nearly 20 years in Barcelona
  • Manchester City is reported as the preferred destination of Messi
  • Joining Manchester City would mean a reunion for Messi and manager Pep Guardiola

The announcement of Lionel Messi opting to leave Barcelona was further amplified with the icon revealing he prefers to play for Manchester City as his desired destination. With the world watching every move, social media has constantly been buzzing with these recent developments.

In the betting world, Manchester City has the biggest chance of landing Messi with the odds of +275. Couple this with the reports of Messi reaching out to Manchester City has the club as the clear favorites, per Bleacher Report. This would mean a reunion for the ten-time La Liga Champion and former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola’s leadership from 2008 to 2012, Messi was able to garner two Champions League titles for Barca.

As one of the wealthiest teams across the world, Manchester City is looking to adjust for Messi given the current market value of the star estimated to be at 112 million Euros.

Given that Messi has acted as the main figure of Barcelona in his entire career, having the superstar jump to a different team has caused a large impact throughout the sporting community. Fans, players and followers of the sport were surprised to hear of the news of Messi’s desired exit.

Some took the time to appreciate Messi’s stint with Barcelona having played in the organization for nearly 20 years. Throughout his career, he was able to garner several awards, including a record of six Ballon D’Or trophies.

As expected, social media also brought out the jokes and memes to encapsulate the moment as it teased the various possibilities of Messi and other teams.

Teammates Carles Puyol and Luis Suarez also showed their support online for Messi as they wished him well in his future and chosen path.

All eyes are on Messi with the major development in his career. After a difficult stretch in the past few months, Barcelona has entered a restructuring phase to ensure they improve in the years to come. Their latest appearance in the UEFA Champions League ended in an embarrassing 8-2 loss by the hands of Bayern Munich.

Then head manager Quique Setien has been sacked and the whole Camp Nou-based squad is looking to move forward from these difficult times. It would interesting to monitor where Messi would end up and if Manchester City can close the deal soon with the superstar football player.

Lionel Messi has informed Barcelona that he wants to "unilaterally" terminate his contract with the Spanish giants, a club source confirms to AFP.
Lionel Messi has informed Barcelona that he wants to "unilaterally" terminate his contract with the Spanish giants, a club source confirms to AFP. AFPTV / AFPTV teams