Lionel Messi at Stamford Bridge. The globally coveted South American making his debut in the Premier League, playing away on cold mid-week winter matches, speaking to Gary Lineker in post-match Match of the Day interviews…
The majority of the footballing community could just never imagine any of those situations ever becoming reality within English football, but if several sensational, yet nevertheless reaction-provoking reports are anything to go by, the four-time Ballon d’Or winner could well be on his way to the Premier League sooner rather than later.
While discussion surrounding Lionel Messi feels as if it has to be more sensible and more structured than for anybody else, rumours linking arguably the world’s best player with a move to Stamford Bridge remain high on the agenda. Could such a deal ever take place, and what would happen to football as we know it if Messi actually signed for Chelsea?
Although all this may seem a bit sensational and more dramatic than necessary, Lionel Messi’s ability simply has that effect on anyone that watches him play. He moves in a different way to any other player, finds passes that no one else can find, and simply finishes off chances that most would deem impossible.
Yes, some of the more pessimistic people within the footballing community have been bold enough to class Messi as too ‘lightweight’ to make it in England, with the physicality of the Premier League certainly looking more of a task than it perhaps is in La Liga for instance, but the Argentinean forward would likely not be phased by such hypothetical debate.
Alongside the likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, Messi would certainly shine in Mourinho’s team and become the same stand-out player he currently is at Barca. His signing would, by most accounts, turn Chelsea into a force that would simply be unstoppable in their quest to land silverware every season.
While winning domestic titles and impressing in Europe has been a hallmark of Chelsea’s success since the Abramovich era was ushered in, the signing of Lionel Messi would produce a special response never before seen at the Bridge, and would have its own untouchable spot in the Blues’ history book for many years to come.
Again though, would this deal actually ever happen? The reported £200million pricetag that is currently being touted in the news would seemingly knock Chelsea back in their attempts, as even for their renowned chairman, such a substantial purchase would be a big ask. Coupled with his wages, Messi may simply be unable to leave Barcelona any time soon on a financial basis alone.
The 27-year-old’s apparent row with Barca manager, Luis Enrique, may get Blues’ fans feeling optimistic no less, but as is mostly the case with high-profile fallings out within Europe’s big clubs, this supposed scandal seems no more than mere paper talk and idle gossip. If his reported clash with Enrique truly has any solid foundations, it would be the newly installed Barca boss that receives his marching orders long before Messi gets his.
Lionel Messi is Barcelona. He is an embodiment of the way they play football, the way they excite fans, and the way they win silverware. The Argentinean star suits Catalonia down to the ground, and likely to the disappointment of Chelsea fans throughout the land, the same just couldn’t be said of Messi turning up in rainy West London.
Ultimately it’s just too hard to imagine the no. 10 in anything other than a Barcelona shirt. It’s hard to think of el Clasico with Cristiano Ronaldo but not Messi. It’s hard to fathom the global star facing the likes of Stoke, Hull and QPR, as opposed to Espanyol, Malaga or Valencia.
But if any of this were to happen, it would simply be a momentous day for everybody involved with Chelsea and indeed everyone in the Premier League. Here’s hoping…
