The 'Lionel Messi rule' all Barcelona players were made to follow in training

Barcelona players had a 'Lionel Messi' rule which they had to follow during the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's stunning spell at the Blaugrana.

Messi is set to snub a contract extension option and leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with his father Jorge reportedly communicating the decision to the club.

It comes after the World Cup winner was suspended for two weeks without pay for taking an unauthorised ambassadorial trip to Saudi Arabia hours after the 3-1 home defeat to Lorient.

The 35-year-old is now nailed on to leave the Parc des Princes and his next move looks set to be a return to Barcelona, where he scored an insane 672 goals in 778 games before leaving in a shock free transfer in 2021.

It's no secret that Barca have been exploring ways in which they can bring Messi back home and it's emerged that his former teammates had to abide by one specific order when training against him.

The Argentine ace was so pivotal to Barca that they did not want to risk any potential injury - so much so that players were struggled to not tackle him too hard in practice sessions.

Image: Alamy

Jean-Claire Todibo, who played five times for the Catalan giants, was one of those players who had to follow the directive.

"We all knew that he couldn't get injured," Todibo told German publication Bild during his loan spell with Schalke, as per Marca.

"Messi was defended very carefully in training. I learned a lot from Messi and I even tackled him a few times, but I was careful not to hurt him."

Although the Saudi Arabia controversy would suggest not, Messi did also get preferential treatment at PSG.

Messi is regularly seen walking when not in possession before coming alive and producing magic when the ball is at his feet.

And manager Christophe Galtier called for teammates to double their load to bring the best out of him, essentially removing him from any defensive duties.

"I ask the team to play for Leo and work for him," Galtier said in a press conference, as per Get French Football News.

"He must be exempted from certain tasks. His partners must redouble their efforts to recover and create movement so that he find passes, which are so rare in today's football, in such small spaces."

It's understandable as to why Messi, one of the best players ever to play the game, would get a free pass.

However, PSG ultras are definitely not giving him one at the moment, having gathered outside the club's HQ chanting ‘Messi, les files de pute’, which translates to ‘Messi, son of a b***h’.