🔴 Messi’s Arsenal – The Final Years of a Legend
⚔️ Bielsa’s Philosophy vs. Modern Football’s Ruthlessness
🌟 The Rise of Mbappé & Haaland – The New Era Begins

Johan Cruyff was gone, but his legacy was alive. Arsenal had been reborn, Messi had found a new home, and Marcelo Bielsa had turned them into the most electrifying team in the world.

But football has never been kind to idealists.

Would this new Arsenal remain at the top, or was it all too beautiful to last?

This is the story of how Messi’s final years in football unfolded—and the pain, beauty, and sacrifice that came with it.

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🏆 2017-18: The Weight of a Crown

🔴 Arsenal: The Team to Beat

After winning the Premier League & Champions League double, Arsenal entered 2017-18 as the most feared team in Europe.

📌 Key Transfers:
✅ Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax → Arsenal, £45M) – Young Dutch defender, perfect for Bielsa’s system.
✅ Marco Verratti (PSG → Arsenal, £60M) – A press-resistant playmaker to complement Messi.
✅ Lautaro Martínez (Racing Club → Arsenal, £25M) – A future successor to Messi?

📌 Tactical Evolution:

• Bielsa made one small but crucial change: Instead of pressing all game, Arsenal learned to control the tempo, preserving Messi’s energy.
• Messi, now 31, played deeper—a playmaker more than a pure goalscorer.

🔥 Messi’s Role (2017-18 Season)

• 22 Goals, 19 Assists in all competitions
• PFA Player of the Year
• Ballon d’Or Winner (6th Time!)

🚨 Premier League Final Standings:
🥇 1st – Arsenal (Champions, 94 points!)
🥈 2nd – Manchester City (90 points, led by Pep Guardiola)
🥉 3rd – Liverpool (87 points, with Salah scoring 32 goals)

📌 Champions League Semi-Final: Arsenal vs. Manchester City

• Messi vs. Guardiola—teacher vs. student.
• 1st Leg: Arsenal 3-2 City (Messi scores a late free kick)
• 2nd Leg: City 2-1 Arsenal (Agg: 4-4, Arsenal win on away goals!)

📌 Champions League Final: Arsenal vs. PSG

• Arsenal start well, but PSG dominate the second half.
• 90’ – GOAL PSG! Neymar scores in stoppage time!

🏆 Final Score: PSG 3-2 Arsenal – Messi falls short in Europe.

🚨 Verdict: Arsenal are still great, but the world is catching up.

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🏆 2018-19: The Beginning of the End

📌 The First Signs of Trouble

• Bielsa’s football is exhausting. His high-intensity pressing begins to wear down Arsenal’s squad.
• Messi turns 32. His numbers are still incredible, but his body is slowing down.
• Manchester City under Guardiola finally surpass Arsenal—winning the Premier League.

📌 Premier League Final Standings (2018-19):
🥇 1st – Manchester City (100 points – Guardiola’s peak!)
🥈 2nd – Arsenal (91 points)
🥉 3rd – Liverpool (89 points)

📌 Champions League Quarter-Final: Arsenal vs. Ajax

• Arsenal face a young, fearless Ajax team led by Frenkie de Jong & Matthijs de Ligt.
• Ajax press Arsenal off the pitch, winning 3-1 on aggregate.

🚨 Verdict: The squad is exhausted. Bielsa’s tactics have reached their breaking point.

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📌 Summer 2019: Messi’s Decision

🔴 Messi has two choices:
1️⃣ Stay at Arsenal and adapt to his aging body.
2️⃣ Leave for a new challenge, perhaps in Argentina or MLS.

📞 June 2019 – Messi calls Bielsa:
“Marcelo, I want to stay. But we need to change.”

🚨 Messi stays at Arsenal!
💡 But Bielsa must evolve Arsenal’s tactics.

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🏆 2019-20: A New Arsenal, A New Messi

📌 Key Transfers:
✅ Frenkie de Jong (Ajax → Arsenal, £75M) – Bielsa rebuilds the midfield.
✅ Erling Haaland (RB Salzburg → Arsenal, £30M) – A young Norwegian with a hunger for goals.

📌 Bielsa’s New System (4-3-3, Less Pressing, More Control):

• Messi plays in midfield, becoming a deep-lying playmaker.
• Haaland & Lautaro Martínez lead the attack.
• Arsenal slow down games instead of running themselves into exhaustion.

🔥 The Results?

• Arsenal win the FA Cup but finish 3rd in the league.
• Champions League Quarter-Finals: Arsenal lose to Real Madrid.

🚨 Verdict: Arsenal is still elite, but Messi is no longer carrying them.

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🏆 2020-21: The Next Generation Takes Over

📌 The Football World Changes:

• Kylian Mbappé is now the world’s best player at PSG.
• Erling Haaland explodes, scoring 40 goals for Arsenal.
• Bielsa, now 65, decides to retire at the end of the season.

📌 Premier League Final Standings:
🥇 1st – Manchester City (Led by Mbappé, who shockingly moved from PSG!)
🥈 2nd – Arsenal (Haaland scores 30 league goals!)
🥉 3rd – Chelsea

📌 Champions League Semi-Final: Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich

• Messi, now 34, faces his last real chance at a Champions League.
• 1st Leg: Arsenal 2-2 Bayern – Haaland scores twice.
• 2nd Leg: Bayern 3-1 Arsenal – The dream ends.

🚨 Verdict: Messi’s time at the top is over.

📞 June 2021 – Messi announces he will retire at the end of the 2021-22 season.

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🏆 2021-22: The Farewell Tour

📌 Messi’s Final Season – A Tribute to the Greatest

• Arsenal rebuilds under new coach Erik ten Hag.
• Messi plays only 20 games, passing the torch to Haaland & de Jong.
• Final Match: Arsenal vs. Barcelona – Champions League Round of 16.

📌 Camp Nou, March 2022 – Messi Returns to Barcelona One Last Time

• He plays one half, then is subbed off to a standing ovation from both sets of fans.
• Tears in his eyes, he waves goodbye to the stadium that raised him.

🚨 Final Match: Arsenal vs. Manchester United (Premier League, May 2022)

• Messi scores a free-kick in his final match.
• He walks off to a guard of honor.

📌 Final Career Stats:
🏆 3x Premier League Titles (2017, 2018, 2020)
🏆 1x Champions League (2017)
🏆 7x Ballon d’Ors (1 more than real history)
⚽ 712 Club Goals, 305 Assists

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📖 The Final Chapter: The Last Words of Lionel Messi

🗣️ “Football was beautiful to me. I hope I made it beautiful for you too.”

🚀 Messi retires. His chapter is over. But football moves forward.

💡 Now the world belongs to Haaland, Mbappé, and the next generation.