Who would have expected such shocking news as that of Messi leaving Barcelona?
This would be one of the news I doubted since the transfer window was opened.
It was the last thing I was expecting because it has always been a belief that the player (Lionel Messi) might be ending his career with the Spanish club despite the huge success he has made in the world of football.
It was hard to believe until I confirmed on Barcelona's Twitter account about the Argentine not signing a new contract with the club after the previous one expired.
A lot of things running through my mind on seeing the news and I concluded that Lionel Messi must have felt very great after leading Argentina to the title at Copa America where he bagged multiple awards to his collection.
I guess he felt it was time for him to explore the world after achieving the national honor of winning his first title with the senior side after several failed attempts. Seeing the world is the dream of everyone and as a player, it is fun going around leagues to show how capable you are even if you stepping out of your comfort zone.
It has always been on my mind if we ever met to ask him why he hasn't left Barcelona to conquer other leagues just like other great players did but I think that question wouldn't be necessary anymore since different clubs would be looking forward to having him pen a contract with them.
Lionel Messi joined Barcelona Academy in the year 2000 and his career has revolved around the club for the past 20 years. He has been one of the backbones of the teams as they take on big stages of the world in different top competitions. He has won over 30 trophies with Barcelona and over 100 personal awards, isn't he awesome?
But why now?
I think this is more than just the usual footballer loyalty to the club and his decision was more about his happiness.
Barcelona hasn't been doing great lately, they can hardly boast of a major title in the last two seasons except for Copa Italian they won in the previous season.
Their dominance in the Champions League ended in the 2014-15 season and they have since then been knocked off the competition in different seasons. This is the time I think the team needed him more to build an indestructible Barcelona squad. I believe he is opening the space for young talents to grow with his exit but it would be difficult for the team to cope without him for a while and their seasons without titles might not be ending anytime soon.
I feel very inspired looking at how he raised to the peak talking about football. He is one of the greatest I have watched playing several times on the TV and everything he does sometimes still make me ask if he is human.
I don't like comparing and it is one of the things that made me avoid conversations about who plays better between him and Cristiano Ronaldo. I have always had huge respect for them both and I believe that they are unique in different ways.
Whichever team he chooses, I hope he makes a good choice as he embraces new challenges in his career.