Lionel Messi @ Barcelona
To watch the sublime produced by the world’s premier player has become so routine that fans don’t even expect the unexpected anymore, such is the predictably unpredictable brilliance delivered in every game.
However, there is intrigue into how Barcelona’s number 10 will start the campaign, coming off the back of such a tormented summer which culminated in him quitting international football.
Messi perhaps felt justified in his decision to turn his back on Argentina, feeling unfulfilled in both deliverance of silverware and the unanimous backing and loving support from his country’s fans that one in his position should reasonably expect.
One place an unwavering love and support never leaves Messi though is Barcelona. And now with no more international commitments to serve, the scary prospect for the rest of Spain is that we could see the playmaker go up another notch at club level – a more rested, less pressured and freer version.
That is, unless a mental scar too deep to heal takes hold – or the lure of his country and a sense of patriotic duty becomes too strong to ignore.
