Messi’s forced move paints a dim portrait of modern football

If the concept of the Super League had not collapsed in ignominy in 48 tumultuous hours in April, this would have been the week - after the Olympics but before the new season began - when Europe's grandest clubs presented their self-serving, elitist vision of football's future.

That the Super League fell apart, of course, was a blessed relief. That this week has, instead, been given over to a dystopian illustration of where, exactly, football stands suggests that no great solace should be found in its failure.