Barcelona players attend Lionel Messi's barbecue party, is it goodbye?

In a rare glimpse into their personal lives outside the football pitch, Barcelona players reportedly gathered for a barbecue party at club captain Lionel Messi's house on Monday. With just four matches remaining in the La Liga season, could this be Messi's early farewell party with what could possibly be his soon-to-be ex-teammates?

The gathering came after the squad attended a recovery training session following their crucial 3-2 victory over Valencia on Sunday night. The win at the Mestalla Stadium kept them within striking distance of the La Liga trophy, as they now stand just two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

Atletico currently holds 76 points, with both Barcelona and Real Madrid just two points behind with 74. On Saturday, the Blaugrana have the opportunity to knock Atletico out of the top spot when they face each other at the Camp Nou.

If Barcelona wins, they will only have Real Madrid to worry about. Los Blancos will remain ahead if they stay level on points, owing to the fact that the defending champions won both "El Clasico" encounters this season. Barcelona will then have to hope that Real Madrid drops points in their remaining four games. at the same time, Barcelona must not drop any themselves.

It is believed that Barcelona's improvements this season may have convinced Messi to stay. However, the players' actions are giving away some clues that may indicate that he is preparing to depart soon. Apart from this party, the Barcelona squad took turns posing for a photo with Messi and the Copa del Rey trophy which they won a few weeks ago.

This time around, the captain opened up his home to his teammates and their partners, in a rare social activity that took place even amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. It may just be a bonding session ahead of a crucial match, and may not have anything to do with a possible exit this summer. However, according to Marca, the current regulations in Spain state that only six people from separate households may gather per table in open spaces.

Various media outlets are already reporting that La Liga may launch an investigation into the party, which involved more than six people.