Messi’s arrival would light up English game in these dark times

THE news that Lionel Messi has told Barcelona he wants to leave has caused lots of excitement and speculation that he could be heading for England.

Manchester City are one of the few clubs who could afford to pull off such a deal, with the Pep Guardiola connection as well as those deep pockets and their ability to exchange players all significant factors.

There is already a legal dispute over the terms by which Messi can leave Catalonia, but now the superstar has signified he wants out, the rest of it is just negotiation and process that will be worked through. The agent and lawyers will be busy, but I believe

Messi leaving

Barca is just a matter of time now.

The prospect of one of the greatest footballers of all time playing in Premier League is mouthwatering for me, even if it is for Manchester City and I say that as a hardcore Liverpool fan.

At 33, Messi might not be quite the player he was five years ago, but he can still light up any stadium.

I think the vast majority of non-manchester City fans feel the same way as me in wanting Messi here.

I did a quick poll on Twitter about this to fellow Liverpool fans and from more than 11,000 voters, nearly 70 per cent said they would like to see the Argentinian in the Premier League, even if it was at City. I can’t think of any other player on the planet who would garner this kind of support.

Football, like all our society, has been hit hard by Covid 19 – with empty stadiums, a rushed end to the season and a feeling that everything doesn’t feel quite as good as it used to.

We are probably going to have a bit more of that for the start of the 2020/21 season, so to have the prospect of watching Messi in our league would be a huge boost.

The Premier League has always been the most entertaining league in the world and Messi would be a history-making addition.

Also, if the cup draws go right, we might be able to find out if Messi can still do it on a cold, wet Tuesday night at Stoke.

On Saturday, a photo circulated on social media showing Guardiola in Barcelona at an Asian restaurant. The owner of the restaurant, who was pictured with the City boss (above), confirmed he was dining there the night before.

It may just have been coincidence, but it could also be the first step in a negotiating process which would see the greatest footballer of all-time come to the Premier League.

WATCHING Jimmy Anderson reach 600 Test wickets last week was quite something. If he retired today, his statistics would be incredible; and yet, he is still not done. The legacy he will leave on English cricket will huge, maybe never to be beaten. But we did once wonder if Ian Botham’s bowling records would ever be beaten and then came along Anderson.