Who will replace Lionel Messi when he retires?

Messi, retirement

It has been said many times that Lionel Messi is not from this planet, but the brutal truth is that he is still just a man. As the saying goes, “time waits for no man”, and at the age of 32 he is inevitably going to slow down – even if his recent performances and Ballon d’Or win show that he is still at the top of his game.

When, and Who?

The next World Cup is in 2022, and it could be that Messi will see the first-ever Gulf based World Cup as a goal and a potential endpoint. That being said, he could also decide to go the way of Xavi and Iniesta, with the two Barcelona legends deciding to enjoy a lucrative payday in Qatar and Japan respectively instead of retiring.

Whatever Messi plans to do, it is clear to see that Barcelona are going to have to think about who is replacing him within the next two years. Many consider Messi to be the greatest of all-time, and that makes him practically impossible to replace, meaning that efforts to bolster the frontline must reach new levels of sophistication and cost-efficiency.

Barcelona have tried to reinvigorate their front line in recent years. Notably, Ousmane Dembélé was a huge money signing, but that has ultimately failed to work out, as questions about his professionalism – and constant injury troubles – continue to dog his time in Catalonia.

Big Money Signings in Barcelona’s Crosshairs

Not only do Barcelona have to worry about Messi retiring but Luis Suárez is soon to be 33, and also nearing the end of his career. In these circumstances, going for broke on top talents from abroad seems like the only viable option. The club is no stranger to taking players from the likes of Liverpool, and it could be that they see Sadio Mane and Mo Salah as great targets.

Aside from that, there are also players such as Raheem Sterling who may enjoy the prospect of life in La Liga, having shown exemplary form under the management of a Barcelona legend in the form of Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona man has combined La Liga’s precision and flair, with the Premier League’s swift counter-attacking character to great effect in the late 2010s, giving Sterling an optimal chance should he ever join one of Spain’s big three.

For the ‘nuclear option’, Barcelona may need look no further than Kylian Mbappe, who is still incredibly young, despite winning three league titles and a World Cup. It would take a resounding sum of money, and barring some exceptional bargaining skills, would likely beat the record of his PSG teammate Neymar’s last transfer value. Regardless, a club of Barcelona’s ambition would see it as a price worth paying for a player who will surely go on to become a legend wherever he ultimately settles.

Youth Targets Represent Viable Alternative

All across Europe, there are key names that are continually linked with the great and the greater every day, and putting in performances that create huge ripples in key spread betting markets. No longer mere ‘prospects’, some of Barcelona’s other potential young targets would offer the same type of versatility Messi has so often demonstrated to devastating effect.

Jadon Sancho

Dortmund have long found it very difficult to hold onto their precocious talents, and Sancho is already attracting a lot of interest. His ability to play anywhere in the front three is an obvious asset, as is his ability to draw from a raucous home crowd and achieve near-talismanic status. Memorably, by the eve before the first fixture of November this season, Sancho had scored nearly two-thirds of his league goals for Dortmund in home matches, with his club also unbeaten in his goalscoring games up to that point.

João Félix

Already the third-most expensive player of all-time, there is a good chance Felix could be transferred again for more than the £114m Atletico Madrid paid for him. The fact that Barcelona were able to lure Antoine Griezmann to the Nou Camp only this summer says a lot about the survival of the old Spanish hierarchy, and how Barcelona could exploit it in the coming years.

Christian Pulisic

The American is one of those names that Dortmund were unable to keep hold of. Being small, technically gifted and able to play anywhere in the front line makes him a good Messi replacement on paper, as does his recent hot streak, which saw him enter Chelsea’s first home game of December on a run of six goals across his eight prior competitive appearances.

Replacing the Irreplaceable

The replacement for Messi might already be at the club – at just 17, AnsuFati is making a huge name for himself, showing the ability to score goals when it matters. Messi showed that same capability around the same juncture of his career, and though there is a Bojan Krkić for every Messi, there are very few alternate clubs in existence that could effectively nurture his talent.

Whoever they turn too, Barcelona will have a huge job on their hands trying to remain dominant once the Argentinian genius leaves the club. They will desperately be hoping that Fati can become a star, but they may also need some big money signings on top of that. Such is the tightrope Barcelona are set to negotiate in replacing Messi long-term via freshfootball, the powers in Catalonia cannot afford to make any more mistakes.

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Source: barcablog.com