The adorable moment Lionel Messi 'forgot he was the captain' for Barcelona before a game

Lionel Messi will always have a special place in the heart of Barcelona fans.

While the club’s financial plight might have necessitated his exit last summer, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will always be welcome at Camp Nou.

Besides, there’s good reason to think that there has never been a more lucrative player-club relationship in the history of the men’s game than the one Messi and Barcelona enjoyed for over 20 years.

By the time that Messi waved goodbye to the club and signed for Paris Saint-Germain, he left behind a remarkable legacy punctuated by unprecedented tallies of 778 appearances and 672 goals.

Chuck in 10 La Liga crowns, four Champions League titles, seven Copa del Rey wins, three FIFA Club World Cup triumphs and countless other honours to see exactly why Messi attained god-like status in Catalonia.

As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Messi ended his time at Camp Nou with the captain’s armband, particularly given his status as one of the most senior players in the dressing room latterly.

When Carles Puyol hung up his boots in the summer of 2014, the Blaugrana moved the captaincy responsibilities through Xavi and then Andres Iniesta until both players had left by the 2018/19 season.

It was at that point where Messi took over as skipper with the Argentine wizard getting his hands on the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles during his three campaigns as leader of the dressing room.

And Messi had been well prepared for the position because his status as vice-captain in previous seasons meant that there were times when he had to fill in for Xavi and Iniesta with the armband.

In fact, during those days where Messi dipped his toe into the captaincy waters, the situation was so unfamiliar that he was