Lionel Messi’s speech to Barcelona teammates ahead of Liverpool Champions League semi-final loss

Lionel Messi's last few years at Barcelona didn't exactly go according to plan.

The Catalan club fell into mountains of debt thanks to some woeful mismanagement from the executives, the on fide performances suffered and Messi was eventually forced to leave.

After years of faithful service and being part of some true footballing dynasties, it wasn't the dream end that fans had envisioned for one of the legend of the game.

Sadly, the warning signs were painted upon the wall for years before Messi left.

Their damning loss to Roma in the Champions League was a particularly low point not only for the club, but for Messi as well.

The Catalan giants coughed up a 3-1 first-leg league to crash out in the second leg in Rome.

It signalled a seismic shift in the European landscape, one that would leave an ugly scar that would be difficult for Barca to shake.

However, only one year later, those wounds would be torn right open yet again.

After thrashing Liverpool 3-0 in the first-leg of the 2019 semi-final, Barcelona looked as though they had one foot in the Madrid final.

Messi himself had been simply incredible, netting a double on the night - one of which was a picture perfect free-kick from miles out.

Even with their lead, there was an air of uncertainty about the second-leg, especially when the fabled 'power of Anfield' was brought into the equation.

Desperate to banish the ghosts of Roma past, Messi did everything he could to rally his teammates to overcome the frenzied atmosphere and book their spot int eh final.

In an impassioned speech before one of the most harrowing 90 minutes of his career, Messi called on his colleagues to make Liverpool suffer.

Brilliant footage. We of course, all know what happened next.

Liverpool,