Lionel Messi is not essential, say 30% of Barcelona club members: poll

Arecent poll revealed that a surprisingly large chunk of Barcelona's club members believe that Lionel Messi is dispensable. It was revealed in a recent survey by Spanish network TV3 that a whopping 30% of club members believe that they can move forward without the first team captain once his contract expires in June.

Despite this revelation, Joan Laporta still won the election for club president on Sunday, after he had used his intention to convince Messi to stay as his main battle cry.

Marca reports that the TV3 poll asked members about who they voted for and their opinion on the Messi contract extension. Only 65.7 percent of respondents believed that it was absolutely essential to convince Messi to stay at the Camp Nou.

Meanwhile, 30.7 percent are ready to move on to a new era at Barcelona.

Lionel Messi himself felt strongly about making changes at the club, so much so that he was spotted casting a vote himself. He arrived at the Camp Nou with his son Thiago shortly before noon, and was greeted by cheering club members who were there to cast votes themselves.

Fellow first team players Sergio Busquets, Riqui Puig, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba were also spotted exercising their right to vote.

It is expected that the wheels will soon start turning on Messi's contract renewal. Joan Laporta should be making an offer, and it remains to be seen if recent changes and the new offer will convince the Argentine superstar to stay.

More than half of the club members also think that the renovations at the stadium should be fast-tracked by having the team play at an alternate venue. This strategy has been proven effective by rivals Real Madrid, who have been playing at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas for the past year. This has helped them speed up the work at the Santiago Bernabeu.