While Paris-Saint Germain is preparing to be the beneficiary of the emotional breakdown of Lionel messi With Barcelona, there is at least one other club that maintains its hopes of seizing the services of the most sought-after free agent in world football.
Liga MX’s Puebla have played patiently this summer, in a valiant attempt to entice Messi to play in Mexico, with an orchestrated campaign on social media over the past few weeks.
Puebla hope their work has paved the way for the 34-year-old forward to make a surprise move and move to the Cuauhtemoc Stadium, setting aside the bright spotlights of the Parc des Princes.
The humorous (and largely one-sided) dialogue began on June 30 when Puebla contacted him directly, just as his contract with the Camp Nou-based club, the largest in the history of all sport, was at hand. about to expire.
Hello, Team Messi. I sent you DM. We would love to work with you ”, published the official Puebla account on Twitter.
Hello, @TeamMessi 👋🏻
I sent you DM. We would love to work with you.#LaFranjaQueNosUne🎽
– Club Puebla 🎽 (@ClubPueblaMX) June 30, 2021
Everything remained calm during the following month, until on August 5, Barça announced that Messi would leave the club, not being able to register his new contract in LaLiga due to the failure of the culé institution to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations.
Puebla decided to take action, sharing an alleged screenshot of a conversation held by direct messages between both parties, which seems to respond to their proposal for a chat via Zoom, which shared a link to a statement published on the official Barcelona site about the future of the player.
“Is it a yes?” Puebla asked, in a show that perhaps went beyond expectation.
? @TeamMessi #LaFranjaQueNosUne🎽 https://t.co/rLNKirRwOH pic.twitter.com/Hel6M7qmoM
– Club Puebla 🎽 (@ClubPueblaMX) August 5, 2021
However, Messi’s fervent Mexican fans made a desperate attempt to sign him before the player tearfully said goodbye to Barça at a press conference on Sunday, ending his 21-year association with the Catalan club. A replica of the home shirt with the number “Messi 10” appeared in the club’s official virtual store.
– Club Puebla 🎽 (@ClubPueblaMX) August 5, 2021
The jacket, which is characterized by a strip that identifies the club, sells for 1,599 Mexican pesos ($ 79.79), although at this time fans desperate to have the last name of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner on their garments alone they can add it to their “wish list” instead of completing an order. Despite this, we have to admire the effort made by Puebla in their attempts to sign Messi, flirting with legal limits; however, your interest most likely remains unrequited.
Needless to say, Barcelona fans remain moved by the news of Messi’s imminent departure. Hundreds of people filled the streets surrounding the Camp Nou as their idol appeared before the media on Sunday morning, chanting Messi’s name and surrounding his car as he left the stadium for the last time.
This weekend we have been able to witness videos of culés fans who continued to acquire this season’s shirt with Messi’s number, days after the official announcement of his departure from the club.
For Monday morning, fans eager to buy a last souvenir of Messi (or refuse to let him go) can rest assured, because Barcelona continues to sell the shirt of the new campaign with Messi’s ’10’ in their virtual store , despite the fact that the player himself will never get to wear it.
The official Barça store includes a warning stating that “the players’ numbers are not final until the transfer market closes” and that the club “is not responsible for possible changes that may occur until the numbers are made official for the next season 21/22 ”.
Despite this, considering the precarious financial situation that motivated Barça to let the greatest player in its history leave, it is perhaps understandable that they feel the need to squeeze every last penny possible from their figure until we see him wearing the jersey of your new club.
Or perhaps it is a sign that there is still a surprising twist in this saga, and somehow Barça will find a way to get Messi back just in time for the start of the new LaLiga season, which will start this Friday with the match. Valencia-Getafe (with LIVE transmission via streaming by ESPN + only in the United States at 3 p.m. ET)