Where the starting line-up from Lionel Messi's final Barcelona game are now | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Barcelona - the pair are synonymous. You simply cannot think of the club without also thinking of the Argentine producing a moment of magic, and you cannot think of the player without thinking of him in the famous blue and red striped shirt.

Having joined the Blaugrana as a youngster, the pacey winger would make his debut for the Spanish giants in October 2004 against Espanyol. 777 more appearances would follow after that, as would 672 goals, and multiple Ballon d’Ors too.

It seemed as if Messi was destined to see out his days in Spain, but it was not meant to be. He would infamously confirm that he wasn’t extending his contract in 2021, shedding tears as he did so. He couldn’t believe it, and neither could the world.

That meant that his final game for the club was a 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo in May 2021, with the now 36-year-old not getting the send-off that he truly deserved thanks to two goals from Santi Mina. But what happened to the other players who made up that team? Impressively, just three players from the starting line-up remain at the club today, with everyone else retiring or departing for pastures new. Let’s dive into the XI and take a look at what happened next…

Goalkeeper - Marc-Andre ter Stegen

We’re ticking off one of the three remaining players already. Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been a stalwart at the back for many Barca teams and managers for years now. Joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, he has gone on to represent his current club 393 times, the 18th most in the side's history. He might have had some shaky moments here and there, but Ter Stegen has usually been reliable when called upon, keeping 165 clean sheets and helping Barca lift five league titles and a Champions League too. Surprisingly, though, Ter Stegen chose to omit Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar from his dream team last year, with his farewell post to Messi raising a few eyebrows too.

Centre-back - Clement Lenglet

Having shot to prominence during his years at Sevilla, expectations for Clement Lenglet were high when he signed for Barcelona in 2018. In his four years at the club, however, he failed to convince fans that he was the man to command their backline for years to come. He was actually sent off in the 83rd minute of Messi's final game, with Celta Vigo then going on to score the winner six minutes later. A loan to Tottenham Hotspur beckoned in 2022, but even that didn’t go according to plan, as the north London outfit failed to purchase him after his loan, despite him playing 26 times in the league. Now back in England on another loan to Aston Villa, it certainly doesn’t seem like Lenglet has much of a future at the Camp Nou, especially when you consider the defenders they have on their books.

Centre-back - Ronald Araujo

Speaking of Barcelona’s current centre-backs… Araujo made his debut for the Catalan giants in October 2019, having joined the club a year earlier from Boston River. Since then, though, the Uruguayan has not looked back. Now a key part of the spine for Xavi’s side, his aggressive style of defending helped his team enormously as they secured the La Liga title last season, although he was embarrassed by Vinicius Jr in El Clasico back in April. With 123 appearances to his name and still only 24 years old, he stands a chance of going on to become a club legend if he continues to develop.

Centre-back - Gerard Pique

If Araujo wants to become a legend at Barcelona, then he will likely aspire to become like the man he lined up next to for Messi’s last match. Signing in 2008 after leaving his boyhood club for Manchester United four years before, Gerard Pique returned to Spain to form one of the best central-defensive partnerships the game has seen alongside Carles Puyol. 15 years of representing Barca’s senior team meant that he chalked up 616 appearances for them, the fifth most in the club’s history. His time with them eventually came to an end last year, with Pique confirming his retirement in November 2022.

Defensive midfielder - Sergio Busquets

What a servant this man was to Barcelona over the years. Third for the most appearances in the club's history, Busquets was an elegant presence in the middle of the pitch, capable of orchestrating play while also acting as a disruptor. Winner of nine La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues with the Blaugrana, the 35-year-old only called time on his Barcelona career this summer, leaving the club after cementing his legacy as one of the best central midfielders in the last decade. The World Cup winner's impressive career is not finished just yet, though, with him deciding to reunite with Messi at Inter Miami in July. He's not the only one in this team to make that switch either...

Centre-midfield - Pedri

From one of the old guard to a new(ish) kid on the block. Pedri's breakthrough season came during Messi's final year at the club, but he has since gone on to become one of Barca's most important players. Still only 20 years old, he now has 114 appearances to his name at club level and 18 caps for Spain. Messi's status as the face of Barcelona has been passed down to the man who current manager Xavi believes is on the same level as Andres Iniesta. To have achieved all this at such a young age is seriously impressive. Barcelona are truly privileged to have him on their books, and although they might be third in La Liga presently, Pedri's return from his hamstring injury will be a big boost in the coming weeks.

Centre-mid - Ilaix Moriba

The future looked so bright for Ilaix Moiriba while he was at Barcelona. When he signed his contract extension in April 2019, he had a release clause of €100m, became the highest-paid player from Barcelona's youth academy and was rated by the Guardian as one of the best young talents in world football. Now, however, he's not even at the club. Moriba left Spain for Germany not long after Messi's final game in August 2021, joining RB Leipzig on a five-year deal. Loaned back to Valencia for the last two seasons, he is yet to make an appearance for the German club in the Bundesliga this season with him not even in the squad for their last four games. Talk about a downfall.

Right-wing - Ousmane Dembele

Another player who was seemingly destined to be the next big thing, but who just failed to live up to the hype while in Spain. Ousmane Dembele's €135m move from Borussia Dortmund wasn't a complete disaster and there were some bright moments with many thinking that his unbelievable assist for Robert Lewandowski last year was a turning point in his career. However, despite finishing the season with 12 goal contributions and a La Liga title to his name, he swapped Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain. He has had a decent start to life in the French capital, with Luis Enrique describing how he is "in love" with Dembele's game. That's despite the fact that he is yet to score for the reigning champions in the league.

Left-wing - Jordi Alba

Usually played at left-back, there was a time when many thought that Jordi Alba was one of the better defenders in European football. A competent defender who could also score outrageous goals when required, there wasn't an overriding weakness to his game. Like Busquets, Alba's time at the Camp Nou came to an end this season after he won his sixth league title with his boyhood club. With 459 appearances for the Blaugrana in the book, he jetted off to America with Busquets to reunite with Messi at Inter Miami. Despite his star power, though, he is not in the top 15 highest earners in the league.

Striker - Lionel Messi

The man himself. There weren't many who thought that match against Celta Vigo would be his final game in a red and blue striped shirt. Messi's biography even revealed that his salary was even agreed very early on in negotiations, only for Joan Laporta to then inform the Argentine's camp that a new deal wasn't happening because of Barca's financial situation. Brutal. Two years at PSG brought two league titles but incredible amounts of drama, with the club's supporters turning on the World Cup winner and booing him during games. Now plying his trade in the MLS, the 37-year-old described how he felt right at home in Miami after winning the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career.

Striker - Antoine Griezmann

On his day, Antoine Griezmann is a quality player. A World Cup winner with France and a Europa League winner with Atletico Madrid, it's just a shame that his day didn't come around more often after his €120m move from Barcelona. Even though he scored 356 times in 102 outings, things just didn't click for him during his two years at the club, with Griezmann loaned back to Atleti for two years shortly after Messi permanently left. Los Colchoneros made the deal permanent this year for just €20m, with their attacker looking like his former self with every game he plays under Diego Simeone. So far this season, the 32-year-old has 12 goals in all competitions, and is the joint second-higest goalscorer in La Liga, behind only Jude Bellingham. Perhaps he's just perfectly suited to Simeone's system.