Lionel Andres Messi is the greatest footballer that the world has ever seen and probably there will be none like him to ever grace our football pitches. The legend has been linked to a move back to the Catalan giants during the MLS off-season but the move is seen from our lenses as one that will not benefit neither the club nor the player. Inter Miami have been mathematically eliminated from the MLS play-offs and Messi will have almost four months between competitive club matches to kill. The Argentine has now been linked with a return to Spanish powerhouse Barcelona on loan during the January transfer window. The move is faced with obvious barriers with Barcelona not out of their financial troubles yet and the glorious Messi return wouldn't necessarily be something to be celebrated.

The immediate problem is that when Messi moves to Barcelona on loan, that will pause to be a headache to Inter Miami. Things changed immediately for Tata Martino's side ever since Messi put pen to paper. In his first 11 games, Messi strolled his way to 11 goals and eight assists, sealing the Leagues Cup trophy which was Inter Miami's first-ever silverware in the process. Messi then soon slowed down due to an injury picked while on international duty with Argentina in September. He tweaked his hamstring in the game against Ecuador, an injury that has seen him miss out in six games for Inter Miami. The club has then moved to collect only five points from a possible 18 as a result of his absence. This simply means that a Messiless Inter Miami is an infinitely poorer team than when the football superstar is in it. The club can not risk him picking up another injury ahead of the 2024 campaign. Messi also needs to rest and therefore, moving to Barcelona on loan will not be in Miami's best on-field interests.

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Messi also partly chose to move to the United States as a move to make him expand his career opportunities beyond football. At the age of 36, the Argentine international has become a part businessman and a part athlete.  His MLS contract is reportedly connected to the sales of Apple TV subscriptions, and he will be buoyed by other sponsors. He has also nailed down equity in Inter Miami as a club. As long as Messi is still playing football, currently, his obligation is to the MLS and to Inter Miami.

From Barcelona's point of view, it is clear why they can be interested in bringing Messi back to the club even if it is on a temporary basis. The Catalan giants are in need of some good PR as they continue to be haunted by the Negreira referring scandal. If there was ever a player who could inject immense cash and investment into the club, it is Messi. On shirt and ticket sales alone, as well as the marketing opportunities. Barcelona could certainly help themselves out. Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United saw the English club reap similar boosts. But the inverse of that is the distraction that it would inevitably cause.

Messi is now a 36-year-old athlete whose body is aging by the day. The superstar is undeniably entering the twilight of his career. He missed 15 games in the 2021-22 season, eight in 2022-23, and six in three months at Inter Miami. Messi may have enjoyed a post-World Cup holiday in January and a Saudi Arabia vacation a couple of months later but he is a player who hasn't really had a break in years. He will need will need some time to recuperate. Modern athletes, including football players, rarely get to take a break. Schedules and fixture lists are getting more and more crowded. The constant attention from the world around them also doesn't offer much in the way of relaxation. As a result of such kind of a life, it is very difficult even just for an average athlete to get some time off to wind up, so, what must it be like for the greatest athlete of them all? Lionel Messi will be having three months off the pitch as his current team will soon be out of the play-offs and his former team Barcelona does not seem to be able to afford him. What the football world needs to accept is that the greatest footballer of all time's time at Barcelona and in European football is over just like his nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo. 

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