Back in December, Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain appeared to be walking in a winter wonderland.
The 35-year-old was thriving as part of the famed attacking triumvirate with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, had just achieved his lifelong ambition of winning the World Cup with Argentina, and had reportedly reached a verbal agreement to continue under the bright lights of the Parc des Princes.
However, in an unforeseen turn of events, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is now expected to pack his bags and bid his farewells to the Parisiens squad at the end of the season, as he prepares to depart as a free agent after all.
While his unsanctioned commercial trip to Saudi Arabia and subsequent suspension may have been the straw that broke Messi's back, concerns over PSG's sporting project are believed to be the overriding factor in his decision to depart, having failed to end Les Parisiens' Champions League last-16 hoodoo.
The Ligue 1 champions' customary top-flight title is far from a certainty either, and whether Messi pulls on the PSG jersey again before a tumultuous campaign concludes, fuel continues to be added to the fire surrounding the attacker's next career move.
Here, Sports Mole assesses where Messi could go next as he brings the curtain down on an indifferent two-year spell in the French capital.
The outpouring of emotion from Messi in his final Barcelona press conference epitomised the love that the 35-year-old harboured for the Catalan giants, whose ongoing economic concerns made it impossible for the Blaugrana to retain the services of their leading goalscorer in 2021.
For many, witnessing Messi glide across the field in a jersey not sporting the Barca colours just did not feel right, but speculation is rife over a sensational homecoming for Barcelona's highest goalscorer and appearance-maker of all time.
Head coach Xavi and president Joan Laporta have left the door wide open for Messi to waltz back in, although there may be some grovelling for the latter to do given the manner of the Argentina international's departure after he was apparently assured that arrangements would be made for him to continue, as reported by BBC Sport.
Since Messi's departure, Xavi has taken Barcelona back to the top of the La Liga landscape, and Messi's yearning to continue in the top tier of European football can no doubt be satisfied at his former Catalonian stomping ground.
Sentiment cannot get in the way of facts, though, as Barcelona must significantly slash their wage bill by as much as €200m (£175.1m) in the coming months, while contract renewals for Gavi, Sergi Roberto, Marcos Alonso and potentially Ousmane Dembele must also be factored in.
Furthermore, a new face in the midfield ought to be Xavi's number one priority if Sergio Busquets ends his association with the club, while a deal is supposedly in place for Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez to join on a free transfer.
Despite his long-running personal feud with Laporta over Barca's financial worries and corruption case over payments to a former referees' chief, La Liga president Javier Tebas has affirmed that he would like to see Messi back in Blaugrana colours, but such an eventuality remains arbitrary rather than plausible for the time being.
SAUDI ARABIA
Should Messi come to the conclusion that he has achieved everything that he set out to do in the European game, a mammoth payday in the Saudi Pro League could await the attacker during the twilight of his career.
Already serving as a tourism ambassador for the country - the reason for the trip which has since sparked even more disarray behind the scenes at Camp des Loges - Messi could purportedly be in line for an unprecedented £320m contract to make the move to Saudi Arabia.
While it is still unclear which Saudi Pro League side Messi could represent, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal appear to be the prime destinations for Messi, who could either renew his rivalry with Ronaldo or form the strike partnerships of all strike partnerships with the Portuguese.
However, it has recently been reported that Ronaldo wants out of Al-Nassr only a few months after boarding the plane to Saudi Arabia, so the dream reunion between two men with 12 Ballons d'Or trophies between them may not materialise either way.
MLS
Thanks to the Designated Player rule, MLS clubs are free to hand out big-money deals to overseas athletes in a bid to lure them to the United States, and Inter Miami are not giving up on the Messi dream.
David Beckham never shared a dressing room with his Argentine compatriot, but the pair were all smiles when the former visited PSG's training ground last month, having ended his playing career in front of the Parisian crowd in 2013.
Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville has also talked up the possibility of bringing Messi to MLS, where the South American would be much closer to his country of birth than at Barcelona or the Saudi Pro League, and a straightforward path back to Argentina would therefore be feasible if he wants to hang up his boots in his homeland.
Furthermore, in a recent chat with CBS Sports, MLS commissioner Don Garber insisted that the league would do everything in their power to facilitate Messi's possible move to North America, where former teammate Busquets could very well end up if he calls time on his Barcelona career.
Messi's decision will not solely hinge on a reunion with one of his old colleagues, though, and the MLS deal would surely be the least compelling from an economic standpoint, but many esteemed stars such as Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have not scoffed at the challenge across the pond. body check tags ::
