Brazilian defender Dani Alves has made an emotional appeal to his former Barcelona colleague Lionel Messi to rejoin the La Liga outfit so that he could end his present misery at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Messi, who matured into one of the greatest footballers of all time while at Camp Nou, having won a world record 35 trophies as well as scoring 672 goals, has seriously struggled since arriving in Paris last summer.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored a paltry three goals in 27 games in Ligue 1, the French top flight.
It is a bitter disappointment for both the French fans and Messi himself, considering he used to consistently hit the 35 goal mark at Barca.
With reports that Messi is not enjoying his life in the city of love, Alves has urged him to return to Barcelona after the 38-year-old made his own comeback to Camp Nou earlier this term.
"I don't know what he thinks or wants to do. He could come back for a little year with me for a last dance. Why not?," Alves told Catalan outlet Diario Sport.
"There's nowhere better than here. We cannot be better off than at Barca. He left and tried the experience. It's time to return home if he wants," he added.
Despite Alves pleading with Messi, the 34-year-old's return to Barcelona looks far from a reality because the club still can't afford him and registering his contract under La Liga's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules would be nearly impossible.
Moreover, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has also stated that he wasn't considering Messi because present manager Xavi Hernandez is building an entirely new team replete with young talent.