MY ACCOUNT
Lionel Messi’s first season away from Barcelona has not gone to plan.
After his Paris Saint-Germain side were dumped out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Real Madrid, the Argentine great has come in for criticism and was even booed by his own supporters in their recent game against Bordeaux.
Having left in tears in August, he has been told by Barca boss Xavi that the door is open for a return — so could the South American really head back to the Camp Nou after just one year?
As Messi, 34, looks to put his club troubles behind him by helping Argentina beat Venezuela in Friday’s World Cup qualifier, we take a look at what is next for the superstar.
Lost in Paris
Messi’s arrival in the French capital was greeted with massive crowds and street parties. Now, just seven months on, he is being met with boos from PSG supporters.
The diminutive genius was seen as the addition who would finally help Les Parisiens end their Champions League hoodoo after falling short year after year, but their continental campaign ended in disappointment yet again.
Holding a two-goal aggregate lead over Real Madrid going into the final half-hour of their last-16 tie, a Karim Benzema hat-trick saw their latest bid implode in spectacular fashion.
It was another example of PSG’s team of individual brilliance, starring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, looking unable to function as a unified group to the level one would expect.
After the defeat in Madrid, pundit Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport: “You’ve got Mbappe, you’ve got Neymar, you’ve got Messi now in this team playing up front.
“And each of those players are players that you would probably allow as a one-off in your team to be a passenger and you all work for that player.
“But at this level, to carry three players that aren’t going to be able to work to the intensity that you probably need to win a tournament like the Champions League is very, very, very difficult.”
Door always open
With unrest continuing at the Parc des Princes, former team-mate Xavi has suggested that the Barca icon is always welcome in Catalonia.
The Spaniard said: “Messi has earned having the doors open to Barca.
“As long as I’m the coach here, if he wants to come every day to watch training or talk to the coach, what he’s given us is priceless, he’s the best player in history.
“He deserves a big tribute from the club. But today he has a contract with PSG, I think he signed for two years.”
Having played almost 400 games with Messi during a trophy-laden time at Barca, you may be hard pressed to find a manager who knows better how to get the most out of the magician.
A tempting prospect
Barca already look very different to the club Messi left under a cloud, having gone on something of a resurgence under former midfielder Xavi.
The 42-year-old has them on an 12-game unbeaten streak which included a stunning 4-0 El Clasico victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid last time out — leading defender Gerard Pique to exclaim “we are back” on social media.
Seemingly clear of their crippling debts, in the short-term at least, the club are once again looking to challenge for big titles and are reportedly targeting some of the world’s best players this summer.
Scoring sensation Erling Haaland is supposedly their priority target but Enric Masip, club president Joan Laporta’s advisor, has refused to rule out their icon returning this summer too.
Regarding a possible move for Messi, Masip told Cadena Ser radio: “Nothing is impossible, but there have been no winks as such from the club.”
Not over yet
But that is not to say Messi is ready to call time on his French adventure just yet either.
In a campaign disrupted by illness and injuries, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is still showing himself to be one of Ligue 1’s best performers when he is on the field.
The seven goals and 11 assists he has in all competitions this term, while not spectacular by Messi’s usual standards, are certainly not disastrous.
His 29.04 final third passes completed, 0.82 big chances created and 0.63 assists per 90 minutes rank him highest in France’s top division for all three metrics.
With him out of the team on Sunday with flu, Mauricio Pochettino’s men fell to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Monaco which did little to lift spirits in the camp.
But PSG’s dominant lead in Ligue 1 means Messi is just months away from an 11th league title of his glittering career.
Moving parts
How hard Barca try for Messi could depend on Real’s pursuits of Haaland and Mbappe, who could both still feasibly head to the Bernabeu this summer.
If that happens, the Catalan club may think a blockbuster signing of similar gravitas is essential to keeping pace with their LaLiga rivals.
But while a summer of upheaval is expected in the French capital in the form of Mbappe and Pochettino leaving, Messi is one man they will surely want to keep hold of.
Reports suggest the Argentine is happy to see out the remainder of the two-year, £34million-per-season deal he signed last summer.
But with Barca desperate to announce themselves as big players once again, do not be surprised to see them pull out all the stops to seal their hero’s return.
