By Sreenandu P R
After countless humiliations on the pitch, with the finances in shambles off the field, things were looking south for FC Barcelona. European humiliations, debts, and the greatest player ever forced to leave the club, there were no two ways. Barcelona had to rebuild the club from scratch.
The Fall Off
In 2018, Barcelona were 4-1 up against AS Roma in the first leg of the quarter final fixture of the UEFA Champions League. A week later, Roma put in three against the Catalans to knock them out in away goals. Barcelona managed to reach the semi finals the following year, facing Liverpool. 3-0 up in the first leg thanks to possibly one of the greatest free kicks Lionel Messi has ever scored, Barcelona saw 4 goals coming against them in the second leg at Anfield leading to another disaster under the European floodlights. The following year, Barcelona had to deal with a bigger embarassment.
Club directors had to wake up. Bayern put 8 goals past them, and club captain Messi has asked to leave after being at the same for 20 years. With the president and the board of directors forced to resign and a new coach in club legend Ronald Koeman coming in hand, the rebuild was slowly taking place.
That year, Barcelona’s finances were looking bleak, and performance wise, it was bittersweet. Messi, initially unhappy while starting the season, was convinced to stay with the team for the oncoming season. Though results in Europe were’nt convincing, Ronald Koeman had spells of good football that year with his players. The season closed with the club being Champions of Copa Del Rey (King’s Cup), and being third in the league.
The Dagger
Despite the season being unconvincing, Barcelona had lot to be happy for, with youngsters Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Ansu Fati gaining prominence in the team. The club depended on the younger wave for the season and it had its share of positives, one being making Lionel Messi happy again. With winning the Copa America, his first international trophy for Argentina after the season, Messi, who’s contract was
running out in June 2021, was about to sign the deal that would make him stay at the club for 2 more years.
The club and the player were happy, however the Financial Fair Play(FFP) rules of LaLiga prevented Messi from staying. The club would not have been able to handle his salary at the time with the debts they had at the time. Thus, temporarily closing the 21 year long story of the little man’s life at Catalonia. Lionel Messi, as a Free Agent, leaves FC Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
The Trenches
For the first time in 21 years, Barcelona started the league without Lionel Messi in the squad. As time passed, the situation got worse. Ronald Koeman was sacked after a 1-0 loss against Rayo Vallecano in October, with new signing Memphis Depay missing the equalizing penalty. Barcelona were 9 in the league, out of the Champions League Group Stage and the finances were looking scary. The club was well and truly having their time in the trenches.
The Xavi Era
It was about time for one of the greatest midfielders ever to come back home. The legendary Xavi Hernandez, who was coaching Qatari club Al-Sadd at that time, had convinced Barcelona’s directors with his spell at Qatar. A week after Koeman’s departure, Xavi had his new job as the manager of his boyhood club. With having faith in the youth, Xavi was giving prominent roles to players like Pedri, Gavi and Araujo. Barcelona slowly rose to a good form, with wins against Atletico Madrid, Valencia and in the Europa League round of 32 against Napoli. It got better once they put 4 past Real Madrid. The season didnt leave the club with a trophy, however things were starting to take shape.
The Climb Back
Everything comes back around in a full circle. In the summer, club directors were ready to sell assets of the club to bring in the money needed to sign the players. Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Pablo Torre, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and one of the greatest strikers the game has seen, Robert Lewandowski. Barca faced early exits from both European competitions, however in the league, they were the lone heavyweights.
With only conceding 13 goals in the league and losing just thrice in the whole competition, Barcelona won the LaLiga with a 14 point difference between direct rivals Real Madrid. With the season about to come to a close, the summer transfer rumours are piling up, with the biggest possible arrival being Lionel Messi.
