I hope Lionel Messi can get the send-off he deserves at Barcelona - Pep Guardiola

• Messi set to leave PSG
• Guardiola wants him to return to Barca
• Feels Messi deserves proper send-off

WHAT HAPPENED? The Argentina star spearheaded Guardiola's all-conquering Barca squad, which remains one of the greatest club sides in footballing history. Messi helped the current City boss to three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Champions Leagues among a whole host of other trophies, before being effectively forced out in 2021 due to the club's financial difficulties. Now, with the Argentine's contract at Paris Saint-Germain coming to an end and his departure looking increasingly likely, Guardiola is clear on where he wants Messi to end up.

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WHAT THEY SAID: "I am a member of Barcelona and I have my two seats in the stadium, and I just hope that one day we can see him off in the way he deserves," the City manager told ESPN. "He was the greatest player of all time. What Barcelona achieved for ten or twelve years would not have been possible without him. Impossible. And I'm not talking about numbers, I'm talking about the impact on the game, the beauty, the aesthetics, the effectiveness... everything. Nobody would have thought it would end up like that. I know that president [Joan] Laporta, who I know how highly he esteems him, was referring to having such a great goodbye - he has helped to make our club, Barca, much bigger than when he arrived.

"And when that difference is so big, you have to say goodbye to people. It was a very quick thing, he left because of a very difficult economic situation, for thousands of reasons that I'm not going to go into and that the protagonists know about and I don't know about. But I hope on that day to go to my place, to be able to stand up, applaud him and say goodbye to him as Leo deserves. And I know that Joan is going to try, he's going to do it and Leo too and he and his family are going to receive the love from all of us Barcelona fans, to be able to show him gratitude and respect for everything he has given to this club."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: While Guardiola hopes for a return to Catalunya for Messi, it seems that eventuality is getting further apart with each passing day. Barca had emerged as the obvious location when his exit from PSG was first mooted, but the club's precarious financial situation and La Liga's stringent wage regulations have put that in serious doubt. It now seems that a reunion with eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is on the cards in Saudi Arabia, as new reports suggest the Argentine would earn double that of the Portuguese should he make the switch.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? After being allowed to return to training despite an unsolicited trip to the Middle East, it remains to be seen whether the Argentine will be selected by Christophe Galter in PSG's upcoming Ligue 1 match against Ajaccio on Saturday.