And there is no denying once this time to the counter.

And there is no denying top shelf stuff from Messi.

Astonishing again the touch of this free kick,

soft as a slugged beer belly and sweeter than the moon lay through the pangs as he steps up and

caresses this one where the spades live. Magnificent from Leonel. And how much is that worth?

Priceless. For nearly 20 years, Leonel Messi has been priceless, the one athlete whose

greatness compels the world to try poetry, even if we, unlike Ray Hudson, can't quite find the

words. But this weekend, the man many consider the greatest soccer player ever, maybe playing his

final game for the only professional team he has ever known, FC Barcelona.

So today, the rhyme and reason behind this soap opera, this possible final stanza, from inside Spain, where the price of immortality is running higher than anyone imagined.

I'm Pablo Torre. It's Thursday, May 20th. This is ESPN Daily. Presented by UKG.

Our purpose is P.

Sidlow, I see, I think, some sunlight streaming in over your right shoulder.

Where are you right now?

I'm in Madrid.

The sun hasn't gone down just yet, and it's starting to get hot.

That's ESPNFC's Sid Lowe, who's covered Spanish soccer for 20 years and has promised me that I don't have to pronounce Barcelona, Barcelona.

We're one week away from the end of the Spanish season. We're a couple of weeks away as well,

obviously from the end of the European season with the final of the Champions League. So, Sid,

as the Spanish season is concerned, we are here to talk about the biggest name, not just there,

but in the entire world of soccer, because Leo Messi is what I need to ask you about today.

We're talking about him.

...