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- Gary Lineker feels Lionel Messi would turn Manchester City into a global brand.
- Messi has been linked with a shock reunion with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Messi cut a frustrated figure when his Barcelona team were embarrassingly knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, a game where they were on the wrong side of a historic 8-2 result.
Former Barcelona forward Lineker, widely recognised as one of the finest strikers of his generation, expressed his regret over Messi currently being in one of the lesser daunting Barcelona sides.
'Lionel Messi is a player who stirs feelings like no other. He turns sport into art.'
Today, it's #MessiDay on BBC Sport. A celebration of one of football's great entertainers.
Here's @GaryLineker on the genius of Leo: https://t.co/Qnn9Xkid0Q pic.twitter.com/DXrU0rzpwK
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 30, 2020
At the same time, he couldn’t hide his excitement over the prospect of Messi switching to the Premier League, at a club such as Manchester City.
“Imagine if Messi comes to Manchester City!” – Ex-Barcelona striker Lineker
Messi’s Barcelona endured one of their worst seasons in recent years, as their campaign was underlined by a slip-up in the LaLiga post lockdown.
Messi, who has been vocal in criticising his teammates and the management of late, has also been rumoured with a switch to Manchester City. He’d then reunite with former Barcelona coach and player Pep Guardiola, under who both Messi and the club played some of their most devastating football.
🔊 @RonaldKoeman: "Messi is the best player in the world and you want him in your team, he wins games" pic.twitter.com/aubgJI93e4
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 19, 2020
Ronald Koeman’s appointment does infuse some hope, but it’ll be interesting to see if Messi, at the age of 33, continues at a club that will now be in transition.
Lineker shared his view on the same, stating:
“It would be interesting to see whether Messi does stay or leave, and it would be very sad for Barcelona, but at the same time it would be very sad to see his last couple of years at the top just peter out in an ordinary team.”
Opining on Messi’s links with Manchester City, he continued:
“Imagine if he did come to the Premier League, say a club like Manchester City, which is the obvious link because of Guardiola. With all the investment at City and the club want to turn into a global brand, who better than someone who had got hundreds of millions of fans all around the world?”
