Messi and Barcelona: The legal battle that never went to court

Rafiel Rajinthrakumar | October 13th, 2020

Disjointed, uncoordinated, and absolutely abysmal. Those are a couple of words that come to mind when describing FC Barcelona’s quarter final performance in the UEFA Champions League against FC Bayern Munich as they slumped to an 8-2 loss; their largest margin of defeat since April 1951.(1) Asides from Bayern’s clinical finishing on the night, Barcelona had themselves to blame, as they were made to pay for one of their sloppiest performances in a long time. A performance that drew criticism from players and pundits across the globe but most notably, from their star man and almighty captain, Lionel Messi. Normally a man of few words, Messi rarely makes public statements about his feelings after games. However, this time his comments were loud and clear, and they left fans and followers, myself included, in utter disbelief. Messi wanted out, and this time, he wasn’t bluffing. (2)

Even for those of you who do not follow soccer, the name Lionel Messi surely rings a bell. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time for his unequivocal talent and amazing character. The team he plays for, FC Barcelona, has been his home for a long time, almost 20 years. However, due to Barcelona’s recent slumps in the Champions League and their first trophy-less season in 12 years, Messi had enough. Ten days after being humiliated at the hands of German giants Bayern Munich, Messi handed in a burofax to inform Barcelona of his desire to leave. To clarify, a burofax is an official document which must be signed by the person who receives it and is utilized when the sender wants to legally prove that they have notified the receiver of the content within the document so the receiver cannot claim they were never notified beforehand. (3) The burofax detailed Messi’s intentions to leave the club citing a clause he had signed in 2017 which “ . . . allows him to walk away for free at the end of each season”. (4)

Upon receiving this document, the club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, was the first to read it along with the legal department of Barcelona. The news stunned them and this document would strain the already damaged relationship between Messi and Bartomeu. In response, Barcelona sent a burofax of their own which alerted Messi he was not free to leave due to the fact he failed to inform the club of his intentions before their deadline of June 10. However, Messi believed otherwise. The coronavirus pandemic botched the schedule for La Liga and prolonged the season, so Messi and his advisers believed that the interpretation of his clause would be altered due to these unprecedented global events. (5) After discussions with numerous law firms in Spain, only one of them believed that Messi’s argument had a chance of being successful against Barcelona’s legal team. (6)

Despite the lack of legal support, Messi decided to stick with his decision and attempt to persuade Barcelona’s legal team into believing why his clause should still be valid. He had even skipped a portion of preseason training with Barcelona, waiting for the club to respond. And they did. The club’s lawyers mirrored Messi’s actions and contacted law firms of their own which confirmed that Barcelona was in the right, and Messi’s case would not stand a chance against the club. (7)

Although this decision was agreed upon by most members of the club, including Bartomeu, other members believed that letting Messi go was the right course of action. He was getting older and younger players, most notably Ansu Fati, were playing exceptionally well. In addition, they would receive up to €700m from a buying club according to Messi’s clause which would help the club out of the financial crisis coronavirus has caused. (8) Despite the contrast of opinions within the club, Bartomeu was clear on his stance. He did not want to be the president that let Messi leave Barcelona and he would do everything in his power to make him stay.

Now things were getting heated and sources across the globe were wondering what would happen next. On September 4, Messi told us. In a now viral interview with Goal (9), Messi confirmed that he was staying at Barcelona because he refused to go to court against a club he loved so dearly. Messi proceeds to speak about how his decision to leave Barcelona saddened his family and children immensely due to their love and appreciation for the city. He also stated that throughout the season, he had been telling Bartomeu that he wished to leave and in response, the club president told him that he could make his decision at the end of the season. (10) Unfortunately, Bartomeu had lied to him and essentially backstabbed him: something I find absolutely appalling for the president to do, especially to a player of Messi’s caliber.

So there you have it, from almost leaving his boyhood club to calling out the club president and staying at Barcelona, Messi showed us a part of him we rarely get to witness. Not only do these events display the abysmal management and communication skills from Bartomeu, but they give us more reasons to admire Messi. Although many people are still divided over whether or not Messi took the right course of action, I believe this case only helps solidify his reputation as being one of the most honest, caring, and empathetic football players of all time. His loyalty to Barcelona is second to none and although he will probably end up leaving at the end of this season when his contract expires, we should enjoy watching him play in Barcelona colours for as long as we can.

Endnotes

1. Chris Deeley, "All the Stats From Bayern's Staggering 8-2 Win Over Barcelona." 90min. Last modified August 14, 2020

2. Darek M. Wajda, "Lionel Messi Comes out of Retirement to Play for Argentina Again." NBC News. Last modified August 12, 2016

3. Sid Lowe, "Messi, Bad Blood and a Burofax: What You Need to Know About the GOAT's Breakup with Barcelona." ESPN. Last modified August 26, 2020,

4. Sid Lowe, "Lionel Messi Confirms He Will Stay at Barcelona 'to Avoid Legal Dispute'." The Guardian. Last modified September 4, 2020

5. "Messi and Barcelona: The Inside Story on How Everything Fell Apart, and What's Next." ESPN. Last modified September 24, 2020

6. "Messi and Barcelona” ESPN

7. "Messi and Barcelona” ESPN

8. "Messi and Barcelona” ESPN

9. "The Full Leo Messi Interview As He Confirms He'll Stay at Barcelona." Diario AS. Last modified September 4, 2020

10. “Leo Messi Interview” Diario AS