Wednesday, July 23, 2008

My Plea To Barca - Let Lionel Go!!!

Over the past few days, I’ve been keeping an eye on this particular report more than anything else. It doesn’t matter to what RONALDO or LAMPARD have in mind about their future because this is the one that matters to me to most.

For now all I got is some bad news. With Lionel MESSI still with the Barca squad for their pre-season training in Scotland, it is confirm that he won’t be joining the Olympic squad in Japan and will not appear in the friendly encounter against the Japanese.

I must say that I’m really puzzled by the club’s decision to stop the player from realizing his dream to play at the Olympics.

The situation is very unlikely that Barcelona will face a tough opposition in the qualifying round of the Champions League. Furthermore, with the squad like that, Pep GUORDIOLA has plenty of options to pick a strong team.

It is a well known fact that the football in the summer games is relatively a second tier event due to the fact it does not featured the biggest names in the sports, unlike other disciplines.

But in my opinion all that has changed when BIELSA took an overwhelming strong side to Athens. That success has definitely raised the standard of football in the Olympics.

Even now the Brazilians are taking things an extra further by bringing their best as well. They want top snatch the gold away from us. I partially feel that RONALDHINO’s main motivation to move away from the Nou Camp might have due to this reason. Chances are that Barca might not want to let him go either. Now KAKA is mad with AC Milan for stopping him and ROBINHO has express his dissatisfaction over Real Madrid for this matter as well.

The moral of the story? Yes football clubs are the ones that pays the players wages but they cannot undermine a players wish to play for his country, period.

Then again, prior to MESSI rose to stardom, Barca never had a great relationship with past Argentine players that have worn the club’s shirt. The great Diego never enjoyed his time there and the Camp Nou was never kind to RIQUELME and SAVIOLA. So now they are doing it all over again to a player that has been the face of the club in recent times.

So what other reason is there for them to stop him? Injury? Well MESSI never encountered any injury in an Albiceleste shirt. He was injured prior to the 2006 World Cup in a Barca shirt. He was injured earlier this year, once again in a Barca shirt.

So to Barca, this is my plea. Just let him go. By doing this the world will recognize your contribution to the spirit of the Olympic Games. After all, in the past your club has always engaged in numerous humanitarian efforts. In MESSI, you will have a great ambassador to support your cause once again in the world’s biggest sporting event. MESSI deserve to be there. In my humble opinion, he is football greatest answer in the Olympics, to the likes of Mark SPITZ, Michael JORDAN, Nadia COMECI, Sergey BUBKA and a host other Olympian Gods.

Should you ignore my plea, therefore just like what my friends have told me “Barca, Argentina Is More Than Just A Club”

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Argghh..If they dont let messi go, i wish they will not even qualify for the champions league. I dont trust their new coach anyways. And i wish messi leaves them as soon as he gets the chance. F*** it. I mean how can you be so unfair to your best player when he wants to make one of his dreams come true. So much for their compassion for messi. They were just making an investment with full belief of great returns in their business. Such a shame football has become all about money as everything else. If they dont let messi go, he shouldn feel bad about leaving them as soon as he gets the chance. I am just so disappointed atm.

Vamos Albiceleste
Vamos Messi

Anonymous said...

If Messi wants to go, he will be there. As Diego has done for Brazil. If Messi has allowed Barcelona to pressure him to do things their way then I will lose alot of respect for him. This is especially the case given the fact he has repeatedly said he will be at the Olympics.

I understand why Barcelona don't want him to go, but Messi is under 23 and he has the power to make it happen. If he told Barca, "I'm going, that's the end of it." There really would be little or nothing Barcelona could do aside from literally shackling him to the training ground.

Atletico have not said anything about Kun's participation and for me that says alot about Barca's excessive conduct.

Messi should have been on the plane to Japan and because he wasn't I almost don't want him to go now and the team win the gold without him. He has had more than enough time to make it abundantly clear to Barcelona that he was going to go no matter what, and that we still have this question mark this close to the tournament is a black mark against how hard he has really forced the issue himself.

Well done to Diego for putting his country above his club.

Sports Magician

ps. This is my first time posting here. I have been a long time reader and want to congratulate you guys for a wonderful blog.

I'm a sports writer myself and have my own now run down blog at www.sportsmagician.blogspot.com (apologies for the self-promotion, just wanted to introduce myself somewhat).

This site is one of a few that I always make sure to check up on regularly. Keep on with the fantastic work and hope to speak again sometime soon.

Anonymous said...

Since Messi said he would be at the Olympics no matter what, his father came out and said that Messi would do what the club wished him to, it must be very difficult for Messi, on one side is his dream and on the other the club and his dad.

The only way i see this coming to a happy conclusion for Messi is if Blatter and FIFA come up with a real tough punishment for clubs who don't comply.
I would like to see a heavy fine plus six point deduction for any clubs who don't let their u23 players participate, as well as not being able to field the player for the next 2 months.

day1star.

Anonymous said...

hi day1star,

It seems that is no longer the case. Jorge Messi is saying that Pulga wants to go and that is his wish, but that he is not the one willing to lay the law down and wants FIFA to do it.

http://www.tycsports.com/global/not_detail.php?id=41703

Unfortunately this situation has dragged on so long that it would have been beneficial by now for Messi to simply do what Diego has done and say he is going and go.

Barcelona wouldn't be happy with him, but they would have to live with it and soon they would get over it. No one truly believes Barcelona won't make CL just because Messi can't play a qualifying tie.

These words from Jorge say it all, if Messi truly feels this way, then he has to go by his own accord and not allow Barcelona to continue making the case against it.

“Yo le transmití al Barcelona que Lio quería estar en los Juegos Olímpicos. Lio tiene ganas de vestir la celeste y blanca. Eso es indiscutible”

Sports Magician

ps. My gut feeling is that Messi will go to the Olympics, but it has left a bad taste in the mouth how the whole situation has been dealt with.

Anonymous said...

I am really, really upset by Barca. If they don't let Messi go, then they should be excluded from the CL altogether. Unfortunately FIFA does not run CL...

But Blatter has just come out and said (once again) it is essential for clubs to release U23 players. I hope he outlined the punishments for clubs that does not comply, too. Even to the extend of expelling Spain from the 2010 World Cup! That will do it.

Anonymous said...

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday that clubs must release their eligible Under-23 players for the Olympic soccer tournament despite the claims of Europe's leading clubs that they were under no obligation to do so. i hope this is true.....
vamos argentina bring home the GOLD
lucas

Anonymous said...

What the problem guys??

Argentina is so rely their strength on their puny Messi. Come on, this is not Maradona era. Depends on one man to avenge the death of your country men.

You guys can win without him.

Dont put shame to Argentina.

Shame on u.

U guys suppose to say Vamos Messi.

Without you we are hopeless.

What a disgrace for a team with abundent talent but rely so much on a single man.

Hopeless

johnny said...

Pretty clear at this point that Messi is not going and there is alot of posturing by everyone involved. So, Dark Joker, even though he is a jerk, is right. Let's go with what we got and get over it.

Anonymous said...

Dark Joker!

We are not saying we need messi to win but barca is showing that attitude. The only reason we so want messi to go is that he wants to play so bad. WE ARE NOT RELYING ON ONE PERSON but its about respecting the rules and the player without putting him in pressure to choose one or the other. Seems like you are English the way you speaking.

Vamos Albiceleste
Vamos Messi

Anonymous said...

I echo p2bn's comments. I still expect Argentina to win the Olympics whether Messi is there or not.

For me this is an issue of club v country and I sit firmly on the side of country, always.

Which is why what Diego has done I applaud completely. I wish Messi would do the same, but he won't, clearly.

Sports Magician

Anonymous said...

Messi himself would love to play at the Olympics and he is not being allowed to go for some meaningless CL preliminary round that Barca should win easily.

Barca even proposes to release Messi after the first leg, when they have thrashed the opposition and more or less book their place for the next round. If they think they can thrash the opposition, then why hold on to him?

I am pretty sure Messi will leave Barca when his contract expires.

Anonymous said...

Rules are U-23 it is a must for them to play.Also if he does not go he can not play in the cl qualif. Moron Barca.!

Jack!

JR Sanchis said...

Disculpa John pero la asociaciónd de clubes es la que decide en un evento no organizado por la FIBA como son las Olimpiadas. En este caso es el FC Barcelona el que ha de decidir y no Blatter, que se embolsará una gran cantidad de dinero si Messi acude a las Olimpiadas. El genio argentino debe ayudar al club e involucrarse más. No lo puede dejar tirado en las eliminatorias para poder entrar en la Champions, determinantes para los intereses deportivos y económicos del Barça. Otra cosa sería si la selección argentina y el Barça le pagaran conjuntamente el contrato. Lo que deberían haber hecho es adelantar las Olimpiadas y así no habría este tipo de problemas. Yo quiero lo mejor para Messi pero ha de pensar en el club que le paga y el año pasado estuvo muy ausente -estancias en Dubai, Argentina-cuando tenía que estar haciendo piña con los jugadores que estaban atravesando por un mal momento deportivo.
Saludos John!!!

Anonymous said...

Jerk???

Well at sometime critics are known as a jerk.

But i have a strong point. Think about it.

Even Messi, cant give us victory.

Proven in the Copa America.

What else ?? Do u think Brazil doesnt want to win the elusive Gold Medal. Even though they are moaning about it, but they are preparing without Robinho & Kaka.

As, for Argentina we have quite a awesome team.

With / Without Messi, Argentina will parade a team that envy other manager.

What more you want??

As for Messi, sorry to say that you wont be available & better he makes the worth by making Barca qualifying to UCL.

As for Argentina....Come on.

Stop being a cry baby & start winning.

John said...

Welcome to Mundo Albiceleste Sports Magician!!! Thanks for introducing yourself and your blog as well. We look forward to many more comments from you as I believe your expertise will be well appreciated here.

Now back to our discussion which I feel glad to receive the number of comments from all of you.

Especially from Dark Joker, thanks for reminding us that football is not all about ONE player as if we didn’t know about it, duh.

However if that’s the case, then maybe you should perhaps just go to some Barca blog, and conveyed them the same message that Barca is still strong enough without MESSI and it is THEY should move on.

Just to show my kind of appreciation, let me just remind you that the whole argument here is about a boy’s dream of playing in the Olympic Games.

Under no circumstances that anyone has the right or the privilege to take that away from anyone. Above all things, Barcelona, the city that hosted the 1992 edition is behind this. Just to put an icing on the cake, the new coach Pep GUORDIOLA, happens to be a member of that Spanish which won the gold then (appreciate is someone could correct me here as I might be wrong).

Don’t get me wrong here as I’m not trying to stir up an anti-Barca campaign here. But we as Argentinean supporters are entitled to give our opinion about this whole matter, just as much as anyone from Catalonia feels that MESSI should be with the club rather than playing for his COUNTRY.

So for god sake, just let the boy realize his dream and in return you’ll see just how much he will be grateful for this and give back to the club.

P/S – Just another quick reminder to everyone about the ongoing Mundo Albiceleste Award. It’s only a few more days before we close the door for any incoming votes. Please vote for your favourite player and send them to sivanjohn@yahoo.com.

John said...

Even the Great Diego has piece of advice for MESSI.

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=790970

Anonymous said...

Thank you John for the piece.

And Dear Joker, You are not a jerk. You just stirred up passion here. Just like John said, go to a Barca blog and say that to them. You might say hey they pay him money but my friend its usually the recognition that a player gets for his country that makes him the prize of the world. There are many exceptions like C Ronaldo but overall a football player is made great by the country he plays for. This might be changing but not so soon will the importance of wearing the national flag be so less important. And for us the fans of Argentina, we love to see our best in the blue and white. And for god's sake, its not even a very important match for a team like Barca and if you do not let your player play for a national team with the ridiculous argument that he might get injured, then just put messi in the a seat in barca stadium and dont let him play most of the matches cause he might just get injured for the next big one.

I am happy you seem to be a fan of argentina, or at least in the blog and please we are not crying, just like John said, its about his dream and I just wish messi says it for himself, I am off to Beijing Guys.

Vamos Albiceleste
Vamos Messi

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