Lionel Messi Photo: VCG

Lionel Messi is said to be unhappy with the Barcelona board, again. The Argentine is the man that everyone at the club wants to keep him happy and there have been times that has not been the case.

He sent a text message from the back of the bus to coach Pep Guardiola when Zlatan Ibrahimovic had scored in each of his first five games in the Blaugrana shirt at the beginning of the 2008-09 season.

That revelation came in the 2012 book, The Messi Mystery, written by Sebastian Fest and Alex Juillard and the message has come to be accepted as "Well, I can see I'm not important to the team anymore, so..."

Messi's cry for help to his coach, which came on the back of being allowed by Guardiola to travel to Beijing to play in the 2008 Olympic Games with Argentina, was answered in no uncertain terms. 

The Swede was deemed surplus to requirements.

As Ibrahimovic wrote in his 2011 autobiography I am Zlatan, "[Pep] preferred to make Messi happy - he didn't value me."

Making Messi happy has been the order of the day over the following decade. It saw the club sign Neymar at the Argentine's request and now there is reportedly an ultimatum that Messi will walk out on the club if they do not bring the Brazilian back from Paris Saint-Germain.

That situation has festered because of Messi's relationship with the club's sporting director, his former teammate Eric Abidal, which broke down in spectacular fashion in January.

Future in question

Messi's future at the club was called into question after he posted on Instagram in response to Abidal claiming that the players' form had led to coach Ernesto Valverde being sacked in January. 

"Lots of players were not satisfied [with Valverde] and nor did they work a lot," Abidal told the Sport newspaper. "There was also an issue of internal communication. The relationship manager-dressing room has always been good but there are things, as a former player, I can smell. I told the club what I thought and that [I thought] a decision had to be made."

Messi told him to "name names" and the battle between Messi and Abidal has seen people take sides. "Leo Messi's reaction last Wednesday in which, through his social pages, he criticized Eric Abidal, seems normal to me," Rivaldo told Betfair the week after Messi posted on Instagram.

"Messi has every right in the world to be angry with Abidal over the way in which he complained about the professionalism of some players in training, especially when he did not mention any specific name.

"That called the whole squad into question. It's hard to talk about this situation from the outside, but Messi just tried to defend the group and himself, maintain his reputation and - at the same time - find out which players Abidal was referring to.

"The latter was naive in saying something like that in an interview that, of course, would have a big impact in the media, forcing Messi to react.

"These types of problems should be solved internally. Abidal didn't do it on purpose but, ultimately, he has hurt the club."

"It's now clear that Ernesto Valverde was not the biggest problem for the club. The biggest loser in all of this is Barca.

"Abidal and Messi should have a conversation, as good people. Abidal is in a difficult situation, especially because the player who reacted to his comments is not just anybody: He's the captain of Barca and a superstar. He's Leo Messi.

 "Simply getting back on the road to victories will calm all this," Rivaldo said.

What would hurt the club even more is if Messi leaves, which while once unconscionable seems a clear and present danger, particularly as the "road to victories" has the significant road block of Real Madrid wrapping up the La Liga title ahead of Barcelona.

Options at hand 

Messi is reported to have an option to end his contract at the end of the season and there are several suitors for the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

His former manager Pep Guardiola has long been linked with a reunion.

In 2016, Guardiola had to deny trying to coax Messi from Camp Nou to the Etihad Stadium. The Manchester City manager told the press that there was no truth to the rumors in Spanish media - but he would sign Messi in a heartbeat.

"I did not call Messi because what I want is for him to play for Barcelona for many years," Guardiola said at the time.

"I hope he ends his career here. But maybe one day the lad will decide that he wants to play somewhere else. Maybe he will want his kids to learn English, I don't know. And if that happens, which I hope it won't, then there will be a list of four, five or six clubs who will want to sign him."

Manchester City remain at the head of that queue, not least because of the Guardiola connection but also the seemingly bottomless funds at the club will allow Messi to be paid the same in Manchester as he is in Barcelona. Guardiola spoke on his former star in February following the public spat with Abidal.

"He is a player from Barcelona and he will stay there, that's my wish for him to stay there," he said. "I'm not going to talk about players playing for other clubs. I think he will finish his career there, that's my wish."

The wish of Manchester City fans is that the 32-year-old will move to Manchester, though those of the red persuasion would hope it is to Old Trafford over the Etihad. 

The Manchester sides are one of a handful that could afford to sign Messi, along with Italian champions Juventus where he would join his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

For the longest time it seemed unthinkable that Messi would ever pull on another shirt, but these are strange days.
Newspaper headline: Making Messi happy