Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has urged Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona following one of the worsts nights in the history of the famous club.
Bayern Munich completely dismantled Messi and Co in the revamped UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, securing an outrageous 8-2 win at the Estadio da Luz.
It was the first time in almost 80 years that Barcelona conceded eight goals in a single game.
Messi, who was wearing the captain’s armband, has now failed to go past the competition’s quarter-finals in four of his last five appearances.
The Catalan giants failed to live up to expectations in all aspects of their game on Friday, meaning they ended the 2019/20 season without winning a single trophy.
Barca now face an uncertain future, with many expecting to see the Argentinean wizard escaping from Camp Nou following a horror loss.
One of those people is ex-England international Rio Ferdinand, who would like to see the 33-year-old moving on in the summer in search of a more competitive environment.
“What is Messi thinking going home tonight?” Ferdinand said, as relayed by the Daily Star.
“Does he want to spend his time left in that shirt given the performances and the way the squad is looking at the moment in comparison to other teams around Europe.
“Has he got the time to sit there and wait?
“Does he want to spend his time in that shirt at that club given the performances and the way the squad is looking at the moment.
“Football is a game that comes and goes very quickly in your life so these next two years where he’s still going to have the power to influence games the way he does, is he going to want to be doing that but not competing for the big titles?
“It’s a big question that he needs to be thinking about.”
Messi has spent his entire professional career at Camp Nou, carrying Barcelona to numerous domestic and international titles.
Although his departure has seemed to be sci-fi until recently, the Rosario native may call time on his career in La Liga after 16 years.
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