Give Messi whatever he wants – but NOT the captain’s armband
HONOUR SHOULD GO TO A CURRENT PLAYER RATHER THAN BEING USED AS AN INCENTIVE FOR A NEW ONE
THE temptation would be to throw every incentive at Lionel Messi to persuade him to join City this summer.
City might be confident of signing Messi if he is free to leave Barcelona, but his financial demands will make any deal a complicated one to complete – and that is before a transfer fee.
So the lure of the Premier League, Champions League, Pep Guardiola and perhaps even a preferred squad number could be used to tempt Messi to swap Barcelona for Manchester.
Even City’s links to the MLS has been reportedly put on the table for the best player in the world to end his career in the US.
But one thing that should not be on the table is the captain’s armband.
The captaincy is vacant at the Etihad after David Silva’s departure, so City could offer that position to Messi as a method of proving how much they would value him.
Messi has been Barcelona captain since 2018 since Andres Iniesta left the Nou Camp, and is also the captain of Argentina since 2011. Would he be content with a step down to ‘just’ a squad member?
To most, the captain’s armband is irrelevant, but it’s the kind of symbolic position that matters to the best players, a way of confirming they are the most important player in the dressing room as well as the most talented.
Messi would undoubtedly be the most talented player in the City squad if he was to join, and he has shown leadership at Barcelona by dragging them through countless games and leading from the front.
But there are more deserving players to captain City than the Argentine.
What sort of message would it send out to Fernandinho or Kevin De Bruyne that their loyalty won’t be rewarded?
Look at the last two permanent captains, Vincent Kompany and David Silva. Both brilliant players, with different approaches to leadership – and they both earned the armband. It would represent a change in direction for City to appoint a new signing as captain, even if that player is Lionel Messi. It would also have the potential to disrupt the ethos that has been developed in City’s world-class squad.
What sort of message would it send out to Fernandinho or Kevin De Bruyne that their loyalty to City won’t be rewarded if a better player comes along? Or to possible future captains like e Raheem Sterling or Phil Foden.
On the other her hand, appointing Fernandinho o or De Bruyne would show Messi that City are a club with their own wn history and tradispected, tradition to be respected, and the posiin position of captain must be earned in a sky blue shirt. t.
There might ht be a short term gain in handing the armband to Messi among plenty ty of other incentives, but it’s one decision that could have more disruptive long-term effects than it t is worth.
Messi is worth orth pursuing, but not at any cost. st.