The Argentine has been linked with a move back to Catalunya during the MLS off-season, but neither club nor the player himself would benefit

In February 2012, Thierry Henry scored his final goal for Arsenal. It was an appropriately romantic thing, the Frenchman heading home in the 90th minute to snatch a 2-1 win against Sunderland. Henry at that time was contracted to the New York Red Bulls, but made an emotional return to north London for a Premier League swansong. It mattered little that the club’s all-time top goalscorer only added two more to his total.

Arsenal didn’t really need Henry, and neither did he really need to go back to Arsenal. Indeed, he would have perhaps been better off going somewhere else to rack up more than 98 minutes during the MLS offseason. But buzz among supporters made it rather heart-warming.

And now, Lionel Messi supposedly has the opportunity to follow a similar path. With Inter Miami mathematically eliminated from the MLS playoffs, Messi will have almost four months between competitive club matches to kill. As such, the Argentine has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona on loan in the January window. You can almost hear the roar of the Olympic Stadium – Barca’s temporary home – when the inevitable goal goes in.

Messi the businessman

Messi admitted in an interview before he made his MLS move that he had originally wanted a return to Barcelona. He claimed that the club had told him for months that they would be able to hash out a deal — only to see it fall through at the last minute due to financial issues.

Messi even made a point of saying he “wanted to make my own decision” and walk away from a potential Barca move before a repeat of his farcical registration failure and ultimate forced departure in 2021. This is a player, then, who has moved on — even if he didn’t want to.

Part of Messi’s decision to move to the United States was for him to expand his career opportunities beyond football. At 36, Messi has become part-businessman, part-athlete. His MLS contract is reportedly connected to the sales of Apple TV subscriptions, and he will be buoyed by other sponsors. Crucially, he has also nailed down equity in Inter Miami as a club. It is not the same as the franchise rights that David Beckham was famously handed by the LA Galaxy in 2007, but it’s close.

And although Beckham was handed a Parisian holiday for the final days of his career, Messi is now playing in a higher-profile and higher-quality version of MLS. He is now the face of a club that is garnering global attention; there is no need for him to re-open the European chapter of his career.

There is perhaps room for an appearance in Gerard Pique’s online sensation Kings League, or even a Barca Legends fixture at some point. But for now, while Messi is still playing football, his obligation is to MLS and Inter Miami.