Superstar forward Lionel Messi, who moved to Spain and joined FC Barcelona at age 13, made his debut against Espanyol at age 17, became Barcelona's all-time top scorer at just 24 years of age and, at 25, became the youngest player to score 200 goals in La Liga, may be on the verge of a monumental move that could shift the entire landscape of the football world.
Messi, reportedly irate over Barca boss Luis Enrique's decision to keep him on the bench throughout the entirety of Barcelona's shocking defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad, demanded a meeting with both Enrique and the team's board this morning.
Later, Messi refused to take part in the team's open training session, claiming stomach issues.
"Chelsea have been linked with a £200m offer for Messi in the summer and this latest incident is likely to only strengthen suggestions that the move could happen," Ben Jefferson of Express.co.uk reports.
Former Barcelona player and coach Johan Cruyff told ESPNFC in November that Messi may be "annoyed" by internal issues with the club and their refusal to protect him from persistent issues stemming from his being singled out by Spain's tax authorities.
Now, in the aftermath of Enrique's odd decision and Messi's reported anger, comes the latest sign that Messi may be tired of Barcelona and ready for a move elsewhere - and specifically, to Chelsea - emanating from, where else, social media.
On Monday, Messi fueled speculation that he could be a transfer window target when he decided to follow Chelsea Football Club and players Thibaut Courtouis, Felipe Luis and Cesc Fabregas, on Instagram.
Needless to say the reaction has been intense.
While nothing concrete has been reported, the notion of Messi moving on seems to have gone from far-fetched fantasy to not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
