Did Lionel Messi make Barcelona transfer decisions? Ex-club president Josep Maria Bartomeu sets record straight

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has finally addressed long-standing claims regarding Lionel Messi’s alleged influence over club transfers during his final years at Camp Nou. Bartomeu debunked myths about the Argentine’s power while shedding light on the financial turmoil that engulfed the club before his departure.

Myths of the Argentine’s authority
The narrative that Messi acted as a “shadow director” during his peak years in Catalonia has been a staple of Spanish football gossip for a decade. It has been suggested that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner held a veto over signings and coaching appointments, creating an environment where the superstar’s preferences outweighed technical strategy.

Bartomeu on the burofax saga
However, Bartomeu has moved to dismantle these claims, insisting that the relationship between player and club was purely professional. He clarified that while Messi was the focal point of the team’s on-field success, his involvement stopped at the touchline, leaving the board and sporting directors to handle the club’s administrative and recruitment hurdles.

“Everyone talks about Leo’s power when he was at Barca, but Messi didn’t decide on signings or coaches; he had no privileges. Outside of the sporting side, he never made any decisions,” Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio.

Reflecting on the 2020 standoff where Messi attempted to leave via a legal notice, the former president explained his firm stance. “In August 2020, when Messi asked to leave, I told him no because he’s our most important asset and one of our main sources of income,” Bartomeu added. “I couldn’t give him a free transfer, and besides, he had a contract. I think he understood, and that’s why he stayed. He thought there would be a new board in a few months that would renew his contract. His surprise came when the time came to renew and they fired him.”

The pandemic and financial fallout
The current Blaugrana board, led by Joan Laporta, has frequently cited a “poisoned inheritance” as the reason for the club’s ongoing economic restrictions. Bartomeu counters this, arguing that the pre-pandemic trajectory was one of record-breaking growth and that the subsequent €500m loss was an unavoidable global catastrophe.

“It wasn’t a bad inheritance. It’s an inheritance with some good points and some not so good, but it’s entirely conditioned by Covid. At that time, Barca was a club in a good sporting and financial position, growing and generating revenue,” he explained. “Covid caused revenue to plummet, and in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Barca suffered a loss of €500 million, which had a significant impact on the club’s finances.

“I’m concerned about the issue of financial fair play; in 2021, Barca inflated its losses. I don’t know why. Inflating the losses and not acknowledging that the pandemic had a €500 million impact on Barca led to us losing our fair play status. This is despite La Liga issuing a report warning of this impact. We could have maintained it. These measures ultimately represent a loss of assets, and these haven’t been used to reduce the debt.”