Lewa's beautiful send-off just makes me realize how badly we failed Leo Messi.
Lewa’s beautiful send-off just reminds me how badly Barça failed Leo Messi.
Seeing Robert Lewandowski get that emotional guard of honor at a packed Camp Nou was incredible. Lewa is a certified club legend. Winning three La Liga titles in four years and carrying our attack during a tough transitional era cements his greatness in our history. He completely deserved that standing ovation.
But watching it just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth when you look at how we treated Messi.
Messi is the ultimate icon of Barcelona, yet he never got a farewell match. He never got to say goodbye to a full stadium. His final game in a Barça shirt was a quiet loss in an empty stadium during the pandemic. He was literally pushed out the back door, crying in a cramped press conference room.
And please save the "it was COVID times" excuse.
Even with pandemic restrictions, the club could have easily organized a massive, special celebration for him once rules eased up. If management actually cared, and if they truly respected what Messi did for us over two decades, they would have figured something out.
Our biggest legend deserved the grandest exit in football history, and the fact that he never got it is an absolute tragedy.