In February 2012, Thierry Henry scored his final goal for Arsenal. It was an appropriately romantic thing, the Frenchman heading home in the 90th minute to snatch a 2-1 win against Sunderland. Henry at that time was contracted to the New York Red Bulls, but made an emotional return to north London for a Premier League swansong. It mattered little that the club's all-time top goalscorer only added two more to his total.
Arsenal didn't really need Henry, and neither did he really need to go back to Arsenal. Indeed, he would have perhaps been better off going somewhere else to rack up more than 98 minutes during the MLS offseason. But buzz among supporters made it rather heart-warming.
And now, Lionel Messi supposedly has the opportunity to follow a similar path. With Inter Miami mathematically eliminated from the MLS playoffs, Messi will have almost four months between competitive club matches to kill. As such, the Argentine has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona on loan in the January window. You can almost hear the roar of the Olympic Stadium - Barca's temporary home - when the inevitable goal goes in.
Aside from the obvious barriers here — namely Barca's massive financial issues that will effectively prevent them from winter spending — the glorious Messi return wouldn't necessarily be something to be celebrated. All parties have bigger issues, ones that make a feel-good story not only wildly impractical, but also outright foolish.