PARIS, FRANCE – APRIL 29: Leo Messi looks on during a Paris Saint-Germain training session on April … [+] 29, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
Lionel Messi is facing a career crossroads. With the 35-year-old out of contract at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022/23 season, Messi has a number of different options in front of him with Barcelona, Inter Miami and Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia all keen to sign the player many see as the greatest of all-time.
Not so long ago, a move to the Premier
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For all that Messi has achieved in club and international soccer, he has never played in the Premier League, widely considered the strongest league in the sport. That won’t count against him in terms of his legacy, but many will ponder how Messi would have fared in England’s top flight if he never plays there.
Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (L) and Bayern Munich’s Spanish head coach Pep … [+] Guardiola stand on the pitch during the UEFA Champions League football match semi final FC Bayern Munich vs FC Barcelona in Munich on May 12, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona have made clear their desire to re-sign Messi this summer two years after he departed the Camp Nou for PSG. Xavi Hernandez’s team are on course to win the Spanish title and the former midfielder has publicly commented Messi would be welcome back at the club where he became a legend.
Messi has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer club Inter Miami over a number of seasons with co-owner David Beckham desperate to attract the Argentine to South Florida. There is also strong interest in Saudi Arabia to sign Messi with the 35-year-old already an ambassador for the country’s World Cup bid.
PARIS, FRANCE – APRIL 27: Leo Messi, David Beckham and Marco Verratti pose after a Paris … [+] Saint-Germain training session on April 27, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
As things stand, there is no suggestion Messi will be a Premier League player next season. City don’t need Messi as they stand on the brink of winning a Treble this season. Pep Guardiola has built a team to measure up against his best sides, including the Barcelona outfit that won it all under his stewardship.
It’s difficult to envisage Messi playing for any other Premier League team as long as Guardiola is Manchester City manager and so the opportunity for the 35-year-old to make a move to England. Instead, the final phase of Messi’s career will either see him retread old ground by returning to Barcelona or forging a new path to Saudi Arabia or the USA.
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Graham Ruthven