Lionel Messi’s projected lineup for his return to Barcelona has been revealed, and his former teammates are nowhere to be found.
Initially rumored to be re-signing with Paris Saint-Germain, Messi has recently been linked with a move away from PSG. PSG coach Christophe Galtier himself confirmed Messi’s departure from the club on Monday, referring to his final game for the club, and there will be a huge amount of interest in his future destination in the summer transfer window.메이저놀이터
Already, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal have reportedly made an astronomical bid for Messi, while the US MLS and hometown club Barcelona are also expected to be in the running.
However, Messi’s eyes are set on Barcelona first. Local Spanish media outlets have reported that Messi wants to continue his career in Europe and has withheld the Saudi offer in order to do so.
Barcelona have a lot of work to do to land Messi. The club has been in financial crisis since 2021 and would have to sell players and cut wages of existing players to pay Messi’s salary. Recently, reports have surfaced that the club is even considering a loan deal with Inter Miami of the MLS.
If Messi were to return to his hometown club, a predicted best 11 starting lineup for Barcelona has been released.
TransferMarkt released a predicted best 11 for Messi’s return to Barcelona on Sunday (Feb. 2).
Transfermarkt lined up Messi on the right wing, his usual spot in Barcelona’s 4-3-3 formation. Ousmane Dembele, a left winger, and Robert Lewandowski, a frontline striker, make up the rest of the attack.
Pablo Gabi, Frankie Douglas and Fedri were in the midfield, while Alejandro Valde, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kunde formed the back four. In goal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was expected to be the goalkeeper.
The starting XI revealed by Transfermarkt has an estimated value of €625 million ($87.67 billion), with the most valuable player in the squad not being Messi at €45 million ($63.31 billion), but Fedri at €100 million ($142 million).
Meanwhile, the starting lineup was almost entirely devoid of the names of Messi’s former teammates who shared in his glory days.
In his 17 seasons with Barcelona, Messi scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 official appearances, winning 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and seven Copa del Rey titles.
However, the last time Messi won the Champions League, in 2014/15, only Thierry Henry appeared in the TransferMarkt starting lineup.
Messi’s old teammates have been few and far between since Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets parted ways with the club after the home game against Mallorca on May 29.
Many soccer fans will be interested to see if Messi, who is hoping to return to Barcelona for one last flame, can make a successful comeback and add to his glory days with his new teammates.