With all that Messi's done at the club, there's always going to be an uncomfortable dynamic.

He is a living legend and people respect his authority. However, that is a double edged sword. It also means that there's an uncomfortable power sharing at the top.

With a dichotomy of power, there will always be a problem with bringing in new coaches/managers and players. People look up to Messi, both on and off field and look for his approval.

That is not to say he hasn't earned that recognition, of course.

Moreover, the preservation of Messi's happiness and his authority thereby is integral to Bartomeu's reign. His on-field work disguises Bartomeu's shit decisions and his off field image guarantees revenue.

Bartomeu cannot afford to upset the apple cart. So he doesn't.

Is any of this on Messi? No, of course not. Does this make him a bad person, any lesser of a player? Definitely not.

This is how authority works. Messi's talent and consistency is so frightening that naturally people gravitate towards him for answers.

However, that can hinder a club's ability to instill a streamlined source of authority and decision making.

Even if it may be time, I'm unsure whether Barça can even afford to let Leo go, due to footballing and commercial reasons.

The incompetency of power at the centre, however, is what has created this mess. Bartomeu's sickening attempts at appeasement have instead moved the power away from him.

Under a competent board, this extent of this would be dramatically lesser.

P.S: this thread has been in my drafts for weeks. No reactionary shouts, please!

And we need the players to take responsibility and target the board, thank you.

I'd like to add the fact that due to the board's disjointed thinking, they haven't even been able to get the deals done that were preferred by the seniors.

And then there's the fake Neymar saga. Yikes, I have no words for such shameful actions by appointed leadership.