The prospect of him leaving was previously thought of as unthinkable, despite the fact he seemed fairly close to a switch to Manchester City the last time Barca’s financial issues rose to the fore – 12 months ago.

Across 17 seasons, Messi has notched more than 600 goals for Barcelona, picking up countless individual and team accolades along the way. 

Despite being in his mid-thirties, his goal-scoring exploits are showing no sign of slowing down having bagged 38 in all competitions last campaign. 

The club had been undergoing a period of transformation with Dutch boss Ronald Koeman, however Messi was still deemed to be central in their plans going forward – he always has been.