One reason I think we should be cautious about signing Vini Jr, is that when we sign Mbappe in January we will potentially see the same issues with them clashing and that will disrupt the dressing room
Barcelona lost Messi in 2021 because they were €1.2 billion in debt and La Liga slashed their wage cap from €347 million to €97 million. The emergency fix was fielding children. Four years later those children won La Liga, and one of them carries a €1 billion release clause.
The cap crisis meant Barcelona couldn't register signings. Academy kids on entry-level wages were the only players they could afford to put on the pitch. So Lamine Yamal debuted at 15 years and 9 months. Pau Cubarsí debuted at 16. Gavi, Pedri, Balde, and Casadó all got minutes a healthy club would never have risked on teenagers.
Then the desperation play turned out to be the best roster strategy in football. Yamal joined at age 7 from CF La Torreta, a local youth club. Transfer fee zero. Barcelona turned down a €250 million bid for him. He made 106 senior appearances before turning 18. Messi made 9.
The cap math makes it even better. Real Madrid operates with a €761 million squad cost limit. Barcelona's is €432 million. They won the league anyway, because half the starting lineup was developed in-house at academy cost.
Messi's final Barcelona contract was worth over €500 million. His replacement cost nothing.
Those 11-year-olds in the video are the next batch. A pipeline that began as a bankruptcy workaround is now the entire plan.
🚨 EXCL: Arsenal exploring move to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid. #AFC interest early stage + clubs not yet in talks but idea approved at all levels. Much rests on contract process as no breakthrough yet & #RMFC do not want free exit @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/qYdS5vlfE6
The song “9” by Drake has surpassed 400 million streams on Spotify, becoming his 93rd song to reach this milestone.
The song has received more streams in the past year than it did in its first nine years combined.
Drake has Mikel Arteta to thank. 🎶
Not enough people remember this. Infantino hand selected Inter Miami to participate in the Club World Cup. Not the MLS champions, but Inter Miami.
They’re the only team that didn’t have to qualify