Lionel Messi’s first season away from Barcelona has not gone as well as he had hoped.
After his Paris Saint-Germain club was eliminated from the Champions League in the last-16 round by Real Madrid, the Argentine great has come under fire and was even booed by his own fans during their recent game against Bordeaux.
After leaving in tears in August, Xavi has assured him that the door is open for a return, so might the South American return to the Camp Nou after only one year?
We take a look at what’s next for Messi as he attempts to put his club problems behind him by helping Argentina overcome Venezuela in a World Cup qualifier on Friday.
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.”
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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.
