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    Even being Jordan can be a Messi problem

    Synopsis

    Jordan and Messi both returned to the game after announcing their retirement.

    ET's dualpane (12)Agencies
    Messi was just 16 when he made his Barcelona debut in 2003. Over the next 17 years, he stayed put; Michael Jordan started his career with the Chicago Bulls and stayed for 14 years;
    What the greatest players of their generation in basketball and football have in common.

    One club men
    Michael Jordan started his career with the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Over the next 14 years, he became the greatest player ever, but he didn’t leave the club. Lionel Messi started out even younger: He was just 16 when he made his Barcelona debut in 2003. Over the next 17 years, as oil money drove the transfer market, Messi stayed put.

    Retirement and return
    In 1993, after leading the Bulls to a third successive NBA championship, Jordan announced his retirement. A stint in baseball later, Jordan returned with a two-word press release: “I’m back”. In 2016, after watching Argentina slump to a third successive defeat in a major final, Messi bid international football goodbye. It took an intervention from the country’s president to change his mind.

    Final season
    In 1998, as the Bulls tried to rebuild their team, several key personalities, including coach Phil Jackson, found themselves on the way out. Jordan threw his weight behind Jackson, and his exit ultimately came about not due to on-court performance. Barcelona too set in motion a rebuilding plan. It involved the exit of senior members of the team. And Messi has been vocally unhappy. He's agreed to stay on, but it’s likely that he will leave next year, and his exit too will be on account of management missteps .
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