Lionel Messi will join Inter Miami this summer after choosing not to follow Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
Having left Barcelona in 2021 after being unable to renew his deal with the Catalan giants, he joined PSG to form one of the most star-studded front lines in football history. Despite a much stronger second year, Messi has reached the endpoint in France.
He has done a major U-turn in the past few weeks alone, turning down a move to the Middle East which could have brought him an immense $1.2bn over his contract, reports say. Instead, he will be going to MLS and David Beckham's American franchise.
Since moving to France two years ago his future has never been certain, though. Barcelona were once more in the mix to return Messi to the club but given his links to Mauricio Pochettino by previous management and nationality, it's only fair to delve into what the new Chelsea boss has had to say about him.
Due to Todd Boehly's desire for a superstar addition and Messi's global standing, it would be more unbelievable if the owner didn't consider it for a second before finally being disappointed by Messi's eventual choice.
Pochettino, however, might have different thoughts. Messi only scored six times in 26 league games under his coaching last year and was met with criticism after taking him off during a win against Lyon early last season. “I took the decision to take Leo off to protect him from possible injuries," he explained amid backlash.
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"We have important games coming up and we want to protect him. These are decisions that we make for the good of the team. Everyone knows we have great players.
“We have a very rich squad of 35 players. Then we have to make choices. With the 11 who must start and then we have to make decisions during the game.
“Sometimes these choices pay off and sometimes they don't. But that's why we're standing in front of the bench thinking about what to do. And those decisions that you have to make, whether things go well or not. Whether you like it or not.
“Afterwards, Messi told me he was fine with the decision.” Messi snubbed a handshake from his boss on that occasion but was heavily praised by him during the World Cup. "He knows exactly how he needs to behave, not only on the pitch but off it as well," Pochettino wrote for The Athletic.
"And I think that the leadership he is showing is why people finally believe this could be the time when the World Cup comes back to Argentina.
"You can see it in how he manages the game, how he talks with the referees, with Lionel Scaloni, even with the opponents. After the quarter-final against the Netherlands, when Argentina won on penalties, I heard some people comparing Messi’s leadership with the leadership that Maradona used to show.
"Messi is now the leader that Argentina need, and for me, that is a massive step for him. It’s not just the performances, which are what we expect. People think he is quiet, but sometimes what you perceive from the outside is wrong.
"He has a very strong character. He doesn’t talk too much, but he talks when he needs to. Maybe we see him talking more now because of the cameras and the technology. We are seeing the real Messi. He was always like this. People like to talk in myths and we all know there are a lot of those in football.
"Right now, Messi is performing at his best in every single area, and when you have that on your side, only good things can happen." Pochettino, alongside Messi, was overjoyed with the achievement of his fellow countryman in Qatar and has unsurprisingly been a huge advocate of him throughout his career.
In November 2021 he said: “Messi is this type of player, for me the best in the world today, better than Cristiano Ronaldo and he can decide a game. [Diego] Maradona, for my generation, is always a very special player. When I was a child Maradona was like a god.
"It is difficult in your mind to change your view and say Messi is better or Ronaldo is better, but right now Messi is the best in the world. And if I didn’t coach Messi, I would still say Messi. I answer with my heart. I always say what I feel."
It's not the only time he has compared the footballing great to Maradona or Ronaldo either. Speaking as Tottenham manager in 2018 before going head-to-head with Messi in a Champions League game, he said: "I am not going to try to find a solution. I am going to say to the players, 'Enjoy playing against Messi, because you are going to have the opportunity to play against one of the best players in the history of football'.
"More than it worrying you, it needs to excite you to play and so you can say, 'Oh, I played against Messi', or 'I played against [Diego] Maradona', or 'I played against Ronaldo'. This is the type of player that you are going to remember. For your ego, it's a thing that you are going to tell your kids and grandkids.
"Sometimes, my kids say to me, 'Ah, you played with Maradona, you played with this or you played with that'. And they are so proud. It's difficult to find solutions to try to stop him [Messi], I promise you. I think it's impossible.
"It's only to enjoy it, to be close, to help the players who are going to face him and, in the end, when you have the ball, to try to have possession, to play in the opposite half, to try to push Leo to play far from your goal. Because if not, it's terrible."
He also came to his defence as manager of PSG, facing off with fans that decided to boo the attacker. "The whistles against Messi? It's unbelievable," he hit back. "These are hard things to accept. A difficult situation to imagine and which cannot be understood in my opinion.
"All the more so with the greatness of Messi, what he gives and will continue to give to football." Skip forward 12 months and he continued the PSG connection, making his stance on the best player clear once more, even at the expense of his teammates.
“For me, Leo Messi is the best in the world," he admitted. "There is no doubt. Afterwards, it is clear that Mbappe is a candidate to be able to receive that title. There is also Neymar, who for me is also one of the best players in the world.”
His explanation of manager Messi during the World Cup is perhaps a warning for any Chelsea fans or even Boehly himself as to why, despite the obvious attraction, this is a move to ignore. "For Barca to have Messi or for Madrid to have Cristiano is a blessing," he started.
"But when you put in too many players who all need their place and to be number one, there can be confusion. In the end, when you play, it's 11 players with one ball. There was a penalty, and who takes it? It's not even a coach's decision."
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