The way Lionel Messi carried his Barcelona club through the years was simply amazing. The Argentinian legend was the heart and soul of the team, and even as his play slowly deteriorated, he was still the main man in Catalunya. In the summer of 2021, however, due to the financial limitations of Barcelona, he had to move and he chose PSG.

With PSG, he has only scored two league goals up until now, and he disappeared in their Champions League Round of 16 matches versus Real Madrid. Clearly, he is not happy in Paris, and there are some rumors he is willing to go back to Barcelona.

Here are three reasons why Lionel Messi should return to Barcelona this summer.

Why Lionel Messi should return to Barcelona

It is not the same Barcelona 

The Barcelona Messi left last summer was in shambles. Coach Ronald Koeman was universally panned, the roster was awkwardly put together, no one wanted to spend big money on their failed investments, and there was no money for transfers.

In that situation, even though Messi did state he wanted to remain in Spain, no one would blame him for leaving. Of course, he did leave a window for a potential return, since Barcelona was his town. Not only was he the most popular person there, due to his dedication and all the success he brought to the club, it was also the town in which he grew up since he joined Barcelona at the age of 14. Still, due to the club not being able to fight for the Champions League, football-wise, leaving was the best decision.

Now, it is different. While they are not in the Champions League anymore and, for a while, there was a chance they might not be in the top four of La Liga, new manager and Messi's old teammate Xavi reinvigorated the team. They are now unbeaten in La Liga since early December and they look set on winning the Europa League, where they went as the third-place team in the Champions League group stage. A new crop of La Masia graduates, combined with veterans and some new signings, guarantee a stable future for the club, which might entice Messi to come back. He cannot be the guy who can turn around a match with his brilliance anymore, but he can be a true leader on the pitch for the youngsters at the club.

His PSG time has not been great 

Possibly the main reason why Messi should go back to Barcelona is his dreadful season at PSG. Now, returning to Barcelona is not the only option, as there are a ton of clubs out there that might be interested in the Argentinian, with one possibility being a return to Newell's Old Boys, his boyhood club. One option that should not be on the docket is staying in PSG. After their massive collapse in the Champions League versus Real Madrid, the club will almost definitely lose Kylian Mbappe, and possibly some other players. There are tons of rumors floating around, and most include unhappy players such as Sergio Ramos, Neymar, and others. Even if they are all complete lies, just losing Mbappe means that PSG cannot be a real Champions League contender, so Messi should leave.

If we go down the list of countries where he can possibly feature, he cannot play in England, as his fragility would definitely be tested by the tough brand of football played there. He cannot play in Italy, as it is a very similar situation to England. It makes no sense to go somewhere else in France, and in Germany, only one club can afford him, which does not seem likely. That leaves only Spain, and there is absolutely no universe in the world where Messi plays for anyone else in Spain other than Barcelona.

It only feels right 

When Messi was leaving Barcelona, there was a strange feeling around the football world. It was similar to when Cristiano Ronaldo was leaving Real Madrid, but that is nowhere near the same, as he did feature for both Sporting and Manchester United previously. Messi, on the other hand, was synonymous with Barcelona, their striped kit, and Camp Nou. Seeing him in PSG colors, or any others for that matter, just felt plain weird. It would be the same story if he left for Manchester City as well, even though Pep Guardiola was there and there was at least some connection.

About a year later from moving to PSG, Messi not being in Barcelona colors still feels incredibly weird. Thus, if there is an opportunity to come back to Barcelona this summer, Messi should do it. If for nothing, he should do it because the Barcelona fans deserve to see their best ever player retire at the iconic Camp Nou, saluting the crowd which he entertained for 17 years. He should do it because his career is one of the pure ones in football, where a player remained loyal. While he did leave for PSG last summer, that would have never happened with better management by Barcelona, which is not Messi's fault.

At the end of the day, Lionel Messi should come back to Barcelona because, well, it only feels right.