Lionel Messi could stop the development of a young Mexican player

Lionel Messi hasn’t been able to establish himself in the starting XI of PSG in the current season, as his performances have been disappointing, to say the least, so much that even the stands of Parc des Princes have been asking for his departure.

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The straw that broke the camel's back was the elimination of PSG in the round of 16 of Champions League against Real Madrid, especially since Messi missed a penalty kick on the first leg that could have changed the course of the match.

Now it’s yet to see if he fulfills his contract with Les Rouge-et-Bleu -he signed until the end of the 2022-23 season- or if he leaves PSG over the summer, something that might happen as Nasser Al-Khelaïfi won’t want to pay him the $40 million that he’s set to earn next season with his current performances.

According to reports from Diario As, Lionel Messi doesn’t see with bad eyes returning to FC Barcelona, given that that’s the team where he’s been more comfortable and knows how things work behind curtains, added to the fact that he’ll reunite with his former teammates Dani Alves and Xavi Hernández, although the latter now as the Blaugranas coach.

Is his return possible?

Given the economical problems that FC Barcelona is going through, paying the high salary that Messi currently receives in PSG might be a big issue that they will only be able to solve if they part ways with several players on their roster.

Either it’s on a loan or selling them, for now that’s the only way in which Barcelona will be able to open up enough space in their cap to have Messi back after just one season. But by doing that, they will cut short the development of several academy team players, including a Mexican playing in La Masía.

Who is the Mexican playing in Barcelona academy teams?

Samuel Mendoza is a 17-year-old left midfielder that has been training in one of Barcelona Academy teams in Phoenix, Arizona. Just a few weeks before the pandemic started in 2020, Mendoza travelled to Spain to train for a couple of weeks in La Masía, where he impressed with his skills and mature decisions.

Although he couldn’t stay back then, Barça have been closely monitoring him and were ready to offer him a contract one he turned 18, something that might not happen now given that they will cut expenses to have Messi back.

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