Barcelona's Lionel Messi, centre, in action during the pre-season friendly soccer match between Barcelona and Girona at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020.
(AP Photo/Joan Monfort)MADRID โ Lionel Messi will be there when Barcelona starts its season on Sunday, just as he has been for the last two decades.
After all, never before had Messi told the club that he wanted to leave, and never before had Messi been forced to stay.
Some of those questions may start being answered on Sunday when Barcelona opens its Spanish league season against Villarreal at the Camp Nou.
The result thrust Barcelona into one of its worst crises ever, and led Messi to make public his desire to leave.