Lionel Messi didn't exactly enjoy his final years at Barcelona.When you consider just how much success that the Paris Saint-Germain star enjoyed at Camp Nou, it really is sad to think about all disappointment that came with his farewell seasons in Spain.Messi was able to enjoy a reprieve of sorts during the 2020/21 campaign by lifting the Copa del Rey trophy, but it was still clear for everyone to see that the Blaugrana were on the way down.
Messi's final years at Barcelona
However, Messi could at least reassure himself that Barca hadn't quite sunk to the depths of the 2019/20 season, which infamously ended in an 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
And if the Argentina superstar had his way, he would have waved goodbye to Catalonia that summer and we might well have seen him playing at the Parc des Princes one year earlier.
Nevertheless, Messi did indeed dust himself off and enjoy a final season at Barcelona, but that's no small statement when you consider just how unhappy he visibly was during the middle of 2020.
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Barcelona's 2019/20 capitulation
And while, yes, the 8-2 defeat to Bayern will always stand out, it's easy to forget that Barcelona's challenge for the La Liga title also fell apart in spectacular fashion as Real Madrid took the crown.
The Catalans had led the way as late in the season as game-week 29, but it was the 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna in the penultimate round of fixtures that really put a nail in their challenge's coffin.
And that fateful night at Camp Nou is the focus of our retrospective today because footage of Messi's goal, which was neutralised by Osasuna's late winner, has gone viral on Twitter again.
Messi angry about scoring a free-kick
Why? Because it paints such a devastatingly clear picture of just how unhappy Messi was at the time with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner barely celebrating a truly outrageous free-kick.
Given that it actually drew Barcelona level, something just feels so off about seeing Messi throw his arm up angrily and acting as though the goal, no matter how spectacular, was ultimately irrelevant.
It really is a side to Messi that you don't see everyday, so be sure to check it out down below:
Imagine scoring a goal that good and not even being all that bothered. Insane.
An eventual reprieve, kind of
As sad as it might be that Messi is no longer a Barcelona player, we can only be thankful that he's now happier with his football than he was during that deepest and darkest of moments in Spain.
That's not necessarily to say that PSG swooped in and saved the day, though, because it's worth noting that Messi's relationship repaired so much this year that he changed his mind about leaving.
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In the end, cruelly, his hand was forced and a move transpired anyway, but perhaps we can find solace in the fact that he could leave Barcelona in a better place than he might have done in 2020.
