Law of life, ways to leave FC Barcelona

In the world of sport nothing lasts forever. All great sportsmen and women have completed cycles. Ladislao Kubala, Luis Suarez (the Galician), Johan Cruyff, Maradona, Guardiola, Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta and now Leo Messi have left Barcelona.

Of the great stars few are those that finished their sport life in the club. Carles Puyol, the great captain, and Antoni Ramallets, legendary goalkeeper.

It is normal that with the passage of time, top-level sportsmen and women gradually lose their qualities. In an elite club like FC Barcelona, you cannot play at an intermediate level because the other rivals are at their peak.

These footballers continue to play for other teams without as much demand and the fans can continue to enjoy their footballing virtues.

At present there is the possibility for these players to go to leagues with great economic resources, but with a lower competitive level than Europe, such as China, Japan, the United States or the Gulf countries. There they continue to practice a profession that they love and also better ensure their future.

The ways of leaving the club are those that differentiate these stars from the football that they belonged to and made the history of Barcelona great.

There were players who left the club blaugrana to go to the maximum rival like the cases of Figo, Laudrup, Ronaldo, after happening through the Inter, or Bernd Schuster. They were very controversial departures more than anything else because they went to Real Madrid CF.

Others left and did not finish their career in Barça because of problems with the board of directors or because the new coach did not have them. Case of Maradona, Cruyff Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Ronaldinho... They continued to play in other teams: Kubala went to the city's main rival, Espanyol de Barcelona, and from there to Switzerland and Canada. Luis Suarez went to Inter, where he won two European Cups. Then to Sampdoria. Quini returned to his Sporting de Gijón. Johan Cruyff went to the United States for a few years, later playing in Spain for Levante and ending up in Holland with Ajax and Feyenoord, Maradona in Naples, with great success, then Seville and Argentina. Eto`o went to Inter and later to Russian Anzhi, where he was the best paid footballer in the world. He would end up playing in different leagues in the world such as the Premier, the Calcio or Turkey to end up in Qatar. Rivaldo went to AC Milan and later to clubs in Greece and Brazil. Romario went to Flamengo, then to Valencia in the Spanish League; the United States, Qatar and Australia were other destinations. Stoichkov went to Bulgaria, CSKA Sofia, then Saudi Arabia, Japan and the United States were his destinations. Ronald Koeman himself, the current coach, went to Feyenoord after leaving Barça. Ronaldinho changed clubs in a forced way; he went to AC Milan and then went to Brazil: Flamengo, Fluminense and others. Guardiola went to Italy, played for Brescia and Roma and later ended up in Qatar. Iniesta left to go to Japan, to join the ranks of Vissel Kobe, and Xavi Hernandez to Qatar. In principle his departure was agreed with the club leaving the doors open. It was not traumatic, but surely neither of the two would support the candidacy of Bartomeu in a hypothetical election.

Going deeper into the principles of Barcelona, José Samitier left Barça because of economic disagreements and signed for Real Madrid, with whom he won two league titles.
Together with Ricardo Zamora and Hans Gamper, he is the only footballer who has a street named after him in Barcelona. Ricardo Zamora himself left Barcelona for Espanyol and later Real Madrid.

With all this information, we can get an idea of the outings of the most important footballers of FC Barcelona and the club has continued to be one of the best in the world.

There is no doubt that Messi is above all the great stars detailed above. A player who joined the club at the age of 13, leader of the best Barça of all time and, according to some, of the best football team in history, winner of more trophies than any player in the history of football.

But still everything comes to an end. Alfredo Di Stéfano's Madrid of the five European Cups, Pelé's Brazil, Johan Cruyff's Clockwork Orange, Beckenbauer's Bayern, Sacchi's AC Milan, Real Madrid's Quinta del Buitre and, of course, Messi's Barça.

Pele went from Brazil to Cosmos, Di Stéfano to Espanyol, Cruyff to the United States, Maradona to Naples and Messi will go on to play for another team. We do not know if this year or in three years time, but he will end up in Argentina, China, United States, Saudi Arabia or another country. Although it hurts the Culés fans, the Spanish, the Argentineans and all the football lovers that Messi leaves the F. C. Barcelona... It's the law of life in football.