The unthinkable has happened, Lionel Messi is going to leave Barcelona!
Having played for the Catalan club since he was 12 years old, Messi was part of the fabric of the team and crucial to their success over the last 15 years.
All good things must come to an end however and given the chaotic nature of the last 18 months, seeing Messi playing for another club is perfectly in line with the weird and wacky 2020/2021.
But where will he go?
Just about every club in the world should at least be thinking about this but for various reasons, it may not be overly practical.
We’ve come up with our own list of suggestions for where Messi could be playing in the coming season.
You can even back where he will go in our market here.
Manchester City
Far and away the most obvious choice, Messi flourished under Guardiola in their time together at Barcelona.
They were reportedly interested when Messi considered leaving last year so why not go back in for him here?
Sure, they just spent £100m odd pounds on Jack Grealish (and gave him the number 10 shirt), but for City, Financial Fair Play is more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule.
Inter Milan
Let’s be honest, La Liga was at its most interesting this millennium when Ronaldo and Messi were battling for the title every season.
Want to make Serie A the most interesting competition from continental Europe?
This would go a long way to doing that and in the process make Inter-Juventus matches the biggest domestic match in the world.
Especially with Inter having just taken the Scudetto out of Turin for the first time in a decade.
Manchester United
Messi took ownership over Manchester United with this moment in the 2009 Champions League Final in Rome.
Now he could finally start to draw a salary from the club by playing for them.
PSG
Apparently PSG have not spent enough money in their quest to win the Champions League.
Like City, Financial Fair Play is more optional than compulsory for this club so they could pay him whatever he wants.
Not to mention, if they sign him their forward line would be nicknamed MNM: Messi, Neymar, Mbappe… sounds delicious.
He’s already endearing himself to his new potential teammates.
Any Argentine Club
It would be the ultimate move for Messi to decide against moving to another European club and instead opt to head back home to Argentina.
Perhaps a return to Newell’s Old Boys, the club he joined as a six year old is on the cards?
Chances are he make them instant title favourites just by showing up every week.
Juventus
Just imagine, we’ve been debating Messi-Ronaldo for years and now we could see them team up in Turin.
There would need to be some sort of Amazon All or Nothing type series following them around (from an appropriate social distance) documenting their every move.
Just think of the looks on their faces when they lose the Champions League Quarter Final to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Bayern Munich
Already dominant, the several time European champions would be taking the mickey if they were to go out and sign Messi after their run to the titles.
After going down to Bayern 8-2 last year, maybe Messi might go for the “if you can’t beat them, join them” philosophy.
Liverpool
Actually you know what, this isn’t even funny, the mere thought of this just makes me sick.
Real Madrid
Want to know how to start a Spanish Civil War?
If Messi makes the leap over to Real Madrid, it might cause Catalonia to secede.
The Real fans who have spat nothing but vitriol at Messi for the last 15 years suddenly changing their tune would be worth it.
Especially if he recreated this celebration.
Arsenal
Ok now you’ve stopped laughing, make sure you check in on your Arsenal supporting friends making sure they’re not being delusional about this.
The correct answer to that question is: Messi.
Stoke
We’ve always wanted to know if he could do it on a cold, windy Tuesday night in Stoke… now’s his chance to show he can.
Celtic
Postecoglou plus Messi, you know it needs to happen.
The A-League
Messi could by the league and its clubs several times over, so maybe a player-owner role could be on the cards.
Central Coast, Newcastle and Perth are all for sale or perhaps he’d like to get involved with the bid to revive Gold Coast United (this time minus Clive Palmer).
MLS
Beckham, Zlatan, Kaka and more have graced the American domestic league, you think Becks and Posh are showing off Miami’s sights and sounds via Facetime?
The AFL
Any time a visiting international star comes to Australia, the AFL insists on shoehorning itself into some horrendously forced promotional shoot where said star holds a Sherrin while trying not to look too confused.
Well now in their ever-present quest to get noticed around the world, how long before we hear from a media outlet, “Insiders reveal AFL’s secret plan to poach Messi from soccer, a former great of the game HATES this idea!”
Brace yourselves, the cringe-worthy tweets from AFL clubs already came in 12 months ago and we’ll inevitably see more in the coming days.
The Masked Singer
Rumour has it Messi has the singing voice of an angel.
He could even be the Kitten this season for all we know…
Newcastle Knights
Remember when Peter Beattie thought that the Barcelona jersey was that of the Newcastle Knights?
Maybe Messi will make the same mistake and sign for the Knights and try his hand at rugby league.
LA Lakers
LeBron wants a superteam in LA?
Why not add one of sport’s biggest stars… even if he’s a good 30cm shorter than everyone else on the court, including the referees.