Three reasons why Messi should leave Barcelona this summer
In the wake of Barcelona's Copa Del Rey victory, there has been increasing talk of Lionel Messi staying at the club beyond this summer.
His relationship with the board, the manager and the club has improved drastically over the second half of the season.
Even a Champions League exit at the hands of PSG did little to prevent the healing.
However, with his contract about to expire at the end of the season, it is too early to write off a possible transfer to another elite club.
Barcelona are desperately trying to hold on to Messi, but the Argentine might fancy a move to a different club.
Here are three reasons why Messi should leave Barcelona this summer
#1. Champions League glory
It has been almost a decade since Barcelona won the Champion's League. Apart from a few hopeful performances in the beginning rounds of the Champions League, Barcelona always tend to falter when it matters most.
Even when they were favored to progress, as in the matches against Roma and Liverpool in the recent past, they stumbled and fell to unceremonious defeats.
When players around Messi lack grit and determination, it is natural for the Argentine to feel frustrated.
A move to a club like Manchester City or PSG will help him have a better chance of getting his hands on another CL trophy.
A player of Messi's caliber can only benefit from a move to one of Europe's elites who currently have a better set of players than Barcelona.
#2. It can boost his performance for Argentina
Messi is constantly under criticism when he plays for Argentina. The common view is that he can't replicate his club form while playing for the national team.
Messi can't be at his best when playing for Argentina because of his lack of adaptation to a different system.
If any aspect of Messi's football can be criticized, it would be his versatility or rather the lack of it.
New clubs, new strategies, and new players around him can do wonders to improve his versatility as a player which in turn will help him perform better for his country.
#3. Messi has become too dependent on Barcelona
This might be an unpopular opinion, but somebody has to say it.
Just as Barcelona are becoming too dependent on Messi, the Argentine too has become overly dependent on the Cules.
This comes as no surprise, as he has been molded and mended by the club he joined as a teenager.
Barcelona need a new system in place which will help them grow. Messi, too, needs to prove himself in a new league if he wants to be remembered as the best player ever to play the game.
A move away from Barcelona might be just the right way to do that.