Barcelona gives up Messi’s star power to try fixing its finances

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said they couldn’t sign Messie because of “financial and structural obstacles” within the Spanish league. Picture: David Ramos/Getty Images

Widely regarded as the best player of his generation, Lionel Messi couldn’t make FC Barcelona’s balance sheet a winner. Here’s a look at went wrong with the finances of one of Europe’s storied soccer teams.

How bad are Barcelona’s finances?