Lionel Messi is currently going through the toughest period of his illustrious career.

The Argentine superstar has struggled to perform on the pitch during the 2020/21 season, scoring just one goal from open play in La Liga.

His poor form - by his own lofty standards - follows on from a chaotic summer which saw him publicly declare his intentions to leave Barcelona.

Eventually, he opted to stay in Catalonia as he didn't want to enter into a legal battle with the club he still holds close to his heart.

But the constant pressure is clearly getting to him and a video of the legendary forward looking lonely and disengaged during a Barca training session has now emerged on social media.

You can watch the heartbreaking footage below.

Something just isn't right.

Messi looks defeated and Barca supporters are understandably concerned, with one replying to the post: "He is clearly hurt. No one to support him within the club, on the field or off the field."

A second Cule tweeted: "He's exhausted mentally, went through so many things that I don't know how can he still keep up. It 100% has a major effect on his form."

Another quipped: "This is really heartbreaking. He feels lonely and abandoned in a place he called home his entire life."

Messi in action

It really does look as if this is the beginning of the end for Messi at Barca.

The Argentine has been left out of the squad for tonight's game against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, with Ronald Koeman stating that his star man needs a rest.

That's been evident for quite some time now, but a rest from playing duties is unlikely to be enough for Messi to return to his very best anytime soon.

Sadly, we may never see the finest version of Messi in a Barca shirt ever again...