The anniversary of when Lionel Messi departed FC Barcelona is nearly approaching, and there are plenty of stories surfacing from former presidential candidate Victor Font, who lost the election at the Spanish club to Joan Laporta.
Months later, Messi would leave the La Liga side after they could not work the finances that would allow him to stay once his contract expired last summer. Nonetheless, it isn’t stopping Font from saying what he would have done differently than Laporta.
In an interview with La Vanguardia, Font stated that he would have provided a “lifetime agreement” with the Argentine forward and created a brand equivalent to that which keeps NBA legend Michael Jordan relevant long after his playing days ended.
“Our plan to save Messi was different – reduce salary mass and losses the first year and propose a lifetime agreement. The other day I read that the Jordan brand developed at Nike has exceeded $5 billion in revenue this year,” Font said.
“Jordan will charge $150m in one year, more than any current figure in the NBA and more than when he played. We went beyond conventional renovation. Surely Messi would have liked it because he strengthened his bond with Barca. Today it is urgent to re-establish that link.”
Messi has one year left on his current deal with an option at PSG. Then he will have to decide what would be the next phase of his career, whether to stay in Europe or perhaps head to the United States, where Inter Miami has long had a reported interest.
