YOU MESSIDED WITH WRONG MAN
LIONEL MESSI has won his power struggle at Barcelona after club president Josep Maria Bartomeu quit last night.
Bartomeu’s decision comes after a bust- up with Messi in the summer, during which the Argentine demanded to leave the club.
But the president dug his heals in and although Messi ultimately backed down on his demand to go, meaning a potential move to Manchester City fell through, the bad blood did not end there. Insisting he only stayed with the Catalan giants to avoid a legal battle with the club, Messi accused Bartomeu of not keeping his word by denying him the chance to leave for nothing at the end of last season.
Bartomeu, 57, has now chosen to fall on his sword, rather than face a vote of no confidence from fans.
The rest of the board of directors at the Nou Camp have also stepped down and an election to appoint a new president will be held in the next 90 days. Barcelona failed to win a trophy last season for the first time since 2007- 08 and Messi was not the only high- profile player to take issue with Bartomeu’s regime, with Gerard Pique also highly critical of the club’s power brokers.
Off the pitch, the results were just as damaging for Bartomeu ( right), with the pandemic contributing heavily to Barcelona posting losses of £ 88m.
Meanwhile, Messi’s much- anticipated showdown with Cristiano
Ronaldo is now on hold after the Juventus superstar failed another Covid- 19 test.
The clubs clash in Turin tonight in the Champions League but former Real Madrid forward Ronaldo will be missing.
The pair will hope to face each other in the return match on December 8.
And the delay could be a boost for Barca, who lost El Clasico 3- 1 to Real on Saturday and are down to 12th in La Liga after three matches without a win.