IT looks almost certain that Lionel Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer upon the expiry of his contract. His next move may be his last, and could still alter the perception of an incredible career. So who should he sign for?

A Premier League team?

From a selfish perspective it would have been amazing to see Lionel Messi in the Premier League for one season, just to silence those that were of the belief he ‘wouldn’t be able to cut it over here’.

Let’s be honest, Messi would have destroyed the Premier League just as he has destroyed every other competition he’s taken part in. In his last 27 appearances against English teams in the Champions League, Messi has scored 27 goals while providing six assists for good measure. Now imagine the damage he would have caused to the teams that weren’t good enough to quality for the Champions League.

The only English side with any genuine links to him since he departed Barcelona are Manchester City, who allegedly tried to lure him to the north of England before he eventually chose gloomy Paris.

It’s a shame, as one last hurrah under Pep Guardiola, the coach who played a bigger role in his development than any other, would have surely been a perfect match and the best way to maximise his powers during his twilight years.

That ship seems to have sailed, and with no more links to the Premier League, it’s easy to see why the Messi family are looking further afield to prolong his legacy.

Al-Hilal 

Though it has been denied by Messi’s father (and agent), Jorge Messi, rumours circulated earlier this week that he had already agreed to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for a contract worth an almost incomprehensible €1billion (£887m).

The first thing that comes to mind is that this would see Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same division for the first time since 2017-18 in LaLiga, with the two facing off in nine consecutive seasons between 2009 and 2018 in Spain before Ronaldo left for Juventus.

While the idea of Messi and Ronaldo battling it out in the same division once again sounds exciting at first, you can’t help but feel the pair doing so in Saudi Arabia resembles Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Righteous Kill more than it does Heat.

According to our Global Power Rankings at Opta, Al-Hilal are the 120^th best side in the world, while Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are ranked 143^rd. For context, other teams with similar rankings are Aris Limassol (106), Lech Poznań (124) and Mamelodi Sundowns (148). It doesn’t look like the Saudi Pro League is likely to return their rivalry back to football’s centre stage.

Inter Miami 

A long-rumoured option is MLS side Inter Miami, which would see Messi offered the chance to be educated at the school of Phil Neville before he retires.

The real area of interest in this alternative is that Inter Miami, part-owned by David Beckham, are reportedly willing to include an equity stake in the club should Messi agree to join.

But, like with Al-Hilal, this move feels too soon for a player that can still be comfortably regarded as one of the best players on the planet.

Inter Miami are ranked all the way down in 679^th in the aforementioned Global Power Rankings, while the highest rated side in the MLS are Los Angeles FC at 160^th.

Given Messi is planning to play at the Copa América next year, before possibly even defending his World Cup crown in 2026, a league of this standard surely won’t serve as valuable preparation for high level international tournaments.

The greatest player of all-time doesn’t need to worry about his talents disappearing overnight, but he’ll want to be in top condition to deal with the stresses of international tournament football, so why not join a club still playing at the highest level in Europe?

Barcelona

If you ignore the budgetary implications, it just makes the most sense.

Messi never should have left Barcelona, but he was completely let down by the financial misadventures of senior figures at the club.

For many he is still the club’s strongest association, the principal character in their modern success.

Barcelona are on the cusp of being crowned LaLiga champions in their first full season under Xavi, and you can’t help but wish that Messi could have played a part in it. The two are inextricably linked – Messi has played more games for the club than anyone else (778), while Xavi is in second place (767). They also won more than 20 major honours while playing together.

Xavi may well be building something special at Barcelona. They are 13 points clear of second-place Atlético, who are themselves a point ahead of Real Madrid. Where they have struggled so far under Xavi is in Europe, where they haven’t been able to impose themselves to the extent they have done domestically. In fact, they’ve looked a completely different team when attempting to do so.

As proven at the World Cup, Messi is a different beast to the player that broke record after record under Guardiola, but he’s a beast all the same.

He can still impact games at the absolute highest level, and re-joining Barcelona to help bridge the gap between eras, while enabling them to remain a force on the European stage, feels a better way to see out his career than putting up numbers in a league below his standards.

It’s too soon for Messi to leave centre stage.