Lionel Messi admitted that "everything changed" for him after Argentina won the World Cup at the tail-end of last year, as speculation over his Paris Saint-Germain future heightens amid a two-week suspension.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was initially expected to remain in the French capital beyond this season, with the idea of signing a new contract to extend his stay floated at the beginning of the season but Messi wanted to wait until after the World Cup before locking in any decision.
It would seem that La Albiceleste going the distance and winning the competition for the first time since 1986 has altered Messi's idea of his club future, with the Argentine conceding the triumph did change things in comments that highlight just how much the national team means to the Barcelona icon.
Speaking to InfoBae, Messi explained: "I always thank God. I knew he was going to give me a World Cup, I don't know, I felt it. Luckily he gave himself what we dreamed of so much.
"Luckily it happened in the end. From that day everything changed for me. Now we can say it."
A growing theory among many fans is that Messi, having secured the one major trophy that evaded him for so long, feels he no longer has anything to prove and as a result matters with PSG at club level no longer harbour the same level of importance. If the Argentine wished to disprove such a theory, he only added fuel to the fire with his recent trip to Saudi Arabia.
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The football icon paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he is a tourism ambassador, after PSG's Ligue 1 defeat to Lorient.
However, the trip was not approved by manager Christophe Galtier, Messi knew he had training on the Monday and went anyway, to the surprise of teammates, and as a result the club have been left with little choice but to take action, slapping Messi with both a heavy fine and a suspension.
Messi has come in for serious criticism as a result of the trip, which came in the light of the 3-1 home defeat by Lorient at the Parc des Princes, which marked a third defeat in four home league games for Les Parisiens. Messi only played 30 minutes of the match.
