Summary

FC Barcelona is facing significant financial difficulties, with over $1 billion in debt and a potential risk of bankruptcy, compounded by poor on-field performances and the possible departure of Lionel Messi.

Abstract

FC Barcelona's current season is marked by both financial and sporting crises. The club is burdened with a staggering debt of $1 billion, which poses a threat of bankruptcy if not addressed by June 30. On the pitch, they have suffered humiliating defeats, such as the 4-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, and are struggling in La Liga, sitting eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. The situation is further complicated by the potential exit of Lionel Messi, who is reportedly unhappy and seeking a move that could bring him a final Champions League title, with Manchester City and PSG as potential destinations. The club's financial woes are exacerbated by the fact that they are using 74% of their revenue to pay player wages, exceeding La Liga's limit, and owe significant transfer fees to other clubs. The impact of COVID-19, including the loss of fan revenue, has only deepened the crisis, leading to an uncertain future for the historic club.

Opinions

The financial situation at FC Barcelona is described as "absolutely desperate" and "a complete mess" by Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.
There is a sense of urgency for the club to make "intelligent, smart decisions" to ensure its survival and manage its enormous debts effectively.
The club's high expenditure on player wages, which exceeds the permitted limit, is seen as a critical financial issue that needs immediate attention.
The potential departure of Lionel Messi is linked to his desire to win another Champions League title, suggesting that Barcelona may no longer be able to fulfill his ambitions.
The possibility of Messi joining Manchester City or PSG is discussed, with the former's need for Messi being questioned due to their already strong squad and the potential for City to win the Champions League without him.
The situation is seen as particularly bleak for Barcelona, with the club facing the reality that they may need to sell assets

Football: What has happened to FC Barcelona?

Their problems on the pitch have been bad, but that is nothing compared to the astronomical $1 billion worth of debt the Spanish giants have built up away from the football field.

The iconic Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona. This photo was taken before a game in 2003. **(Featured Image: Will Palmer)**

This season seems to be going from bad to worse for FC Barcelona. Away from the football pitch, they are in financial turmoil and on the field, it has been nothing short of a disaster.

Ronald Koeman’s side were torn apart by Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League clash last week, losing 4–1 at the Camp Nou, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick and the Catalans were poor again on the weekend, dropping points at home after a 1–1 draw with 14th placed Cadiz in the league.

They are currently eight points off La Liga leaders, Atletico Madrid, fourth in the table overall. Not only that, but the club are also in jeopardy of being knocked out of the Copa del Rey, after losing 2–0 away to Sevilla in the first leg of their semi-final at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Their real problems lie away from the football field, though. They are at risk of going bankrupt if they do not pay up the banks by the 30th of June.

Ultimately, they are a club running at a loss, and with the Lionel Messi era coming to an end, the future looks bleak for the five-time Champions League winners.

Messi is reportedly not happy at the Camp Nou and is keen to leave, following a frustrating couple of years at Barcelona.

The Argentine superstar is craving one final Champions League trophy before he retires, and that looks unlikely to happen if he stays with Blaugrana.

The last time they won Europe’s most coveted Prize was in 2015, beating Juventus 3–1 at the Olympiastadion, in Berlin.

Manchester City and PSG are both in the running for one of the greatest players of all time.

Both clubs have world-class teams and brilliant managers in Pep Guardiola, who previously worked with Messi at the Camp Nou, and Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss, who was recently appointed PSG manager.

The dream reunion with Guardiola would be quite sensational, and it is something which isn’t off the cards, either.

The only issue with this is the fact that Manchester City already have an unbelievable squad, and it begs the question whether they need him at all?

Especially if the Citizens win the Champions League this season. That is the one trophy Guardiola have been itching to win since taking over at the Sky Blues in 2016, and they may not get a better opportunity than this year.

At PSG, Messi would have world class players around him as well, with the likes of French superstar Mbappe, and former team-mate Neymar.

He is certainly a player who could help take them to the next level and win that elusive first Champions League, but the only problem with that is Messi has previously admitted he would like to retire at Barcelona.

But, at this rate — they would have to make him an offer he simply could not refuse, and it does not seem financially viable for the club to do that, amid their humongous economical problems.

They are also giving a reported 74% of their revenue and using it to pay players’ wages, which exceeds La Liga’s 70% limit rule, according to Spanish publication El Mundo.

Barcelona also reportedly owes a staggering €126 million euros in outstanding transfer fees to 19 different clubs around Europe, which includes €29 million to Liverpool for playmaker Philippe Coutinho. That will then extend to €40 million in the long run.

They also owe Ajax a further €16 million euros for the services of Frenkie de Jong, following his signature in 2019.

Whereas, Ligue One outfit Bordeaux are still waiting on €10 million euros for Malcom, who is now plying his trade in the Russian Premier League for Zenit Saint Petersburg.

The list is quite simply remarkable. It is a complete mess, which needs to be solved urgently, and due to the covid-19 situation, it has impacted Barcelona enormously.

They have also lost out on fan revenue, due to supporters not being able to attend games throughout the 2020/2021 season, and the club is in despair. It is a depressing outlook for their future, there is no questioning that.

It has now emerged they have not been able to pay their players’ wages in full, too.

Talking to TalkSport, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague said: “The financial situation at Barcelona is absolutely desperate.

“The urgent debt is about €700 million. It means they have not been able to pay the full wages of the players. They get paid in two statements, and the December/January one has not been paid fully!

“So, how do they sort that out? Well, some say that perhaps by selling some of the assets of Barcelona, that could be players and it could be a part of the club.

“But it’s a very complicated situation that the candidates for the presidency, with elections on March the 7th, perhaps don’t feel brave enough to discuss at this stage.

“But big, huge, decisions have to be taken for Barcelona to survive this.”

It is undoubtedly a horrible predicament which the club have found themselves in. You can lament Barcelona’s poor campaign all you want, but that is the least of their worries.

It is now about people at the top making intelligent, smart decisions so this historic 121-year-old club lives on to fight another day.