Barcelona facing many challenges as the post-Messi era starts
Despite losing its best player and being mired by financial difficulties, Barcelona remained confident it will keep succeeding in the post-Lionel Messi era.
The president will have to work hard to reduce the club's debt, which recently reached more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) because of the coronavirus pandemic and problems faced by the previous administration.
Before the start of the new season and shortly after Laporta took office, Barcelona and Messi had agreed on a new contract but it could not be signed because the club couldn't fit it into the Spanish league's salary limits.
The 34-year-old Messi is leaving after leading Barcelona during its most successful years.
He helped the club win 35 titles, including the Champions League four times, the Spanish league 10 times, the Copa del Rey seven times and the Spanish Super Cup eight times.
Letting Messi go was the only way of saving the club, and just like that Messi's era at Barcelona came to an end.
President Joan Laporta says that keeping the Argentine star would be risky, and not even the greatest player in the world was worth jeopardizing the club's future.
A few weeks after Messi's departure for France to join French side and Barça European rival Paris Saint-Germain, the Catalan club also let go Antoine Griezmann, who went back to Atletico de Madrid where the French forward achieved the biggest success in his career.
Barcelona will start a season without Messi for the first time in nearly two decades but president Joan Laporta said the club's motivation will be greater than ever.
Without Messi, Barcelona's most veteran stars will remain Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Laporta said the youngsters and the newly arrived players have an opportunity to show their worth without Messi in the team.
Among the new signings are Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.
He said he also talked to Ronald Koeman and the coach remained upbeat with the team's chances without Messi.
The club's debt recently was at more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), and that wasn't only because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Former President Josep Bartomeu resigned last year along with his board of directors amid his fallout with Messi and the club's financial struggles.
Barcelona was one of the clubs hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The league slashed its salary cap last season and the club had been trying to clear cap space by releasing some of its players.
Laporta says that with the recent moves and transfers the salary mass for the players have gone down from 110 per cent to 80 percent of the club's yearly income.
And he hopes to reach 70 per cent by the end of the season.
Laporta repeatedly presented a grim picture of the club's financial situation, saying its debt had risen to 1.35 billion euros ($1.6 billion).
It had only signed free agents this summer — including Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia — to avoid paying transfer fees.
While with the club, Messi earned himself a record six Ballon d'Or awards as the world's top player.
He is the team's all-time scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, and the top scorer in the Spanish league with 474 goals in 520 matches. He also is the player with most matches with the club
He was the top scorer in the Spanish league in eight seasons, and the top scorer in the Champions League on six occasions.
Without Messi to rely on as it had for years, Barcelona was running scared from the start as it focused on protecting itself from another embarrassing defeat.
The final score hid the total dominance of the Bundesliga powerhouse.
Barcelona had two wins and a draw in its three previous matches, all in the Spanish league, that it had played this season after its wretched finances had kept it from re-signing Messi.
After going undefeated in 38 consecutive Champions League home games until last year, Barcelona has lost three in a row.
Local financial firms say that the loses for the city of Barcelona following Messi's departure will be in the hundreds of millions of euro as over 20 per cent of tourists would chose Paris as their holiday destination to watch the Argentinian footballer on the pitch at Le Parc des Princes stadium.
