There will be few regrets when Kevin-Prince Boateng hangs up his boots, especially now that his colourful career is set to end with a last hurrah under the lights of the Nou Camp.
He has played for Jurgen Klopp and Massimiliano Allegri, he's shaken the hand of Nelson Mandela and delivered a speech to the UN, he once bought three new cars in one day as a young Tottenham player, and he's played at the World Cup for Ghana, and in an FA Cup final for Portsmouth. Now he's going to line up alongside Lionel Messi.
'I still have a picture at home of me standing in-front of three cars and a big house and I'm standing there like I'm 50 Cent. I look at it sometimes and I say: 'look how stupid you were',' he told Sportsmail two years ago while he was playing for Las Palmas.
He left the Spanish club to join Eintracht Frankfurt back in Germany before moving to Sassuolo last summer. He has inspired them on the pitch, with five goals in 15 games, and in the dressing room, having taken charge of the pre-match playlist.
He has thrived in the false nine role he played in Spain at Las Palmas under Quique Setien, who has been tipped as a future Barca coach.
He ticks all of Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde's boxes – he is experienced in La Liga and he can play in Luis Suarez' position when the Uruguayan needs to be rested.
He will also bring a unique set of football experiences to the Barcelona dressing room.
'If you're 18, you don't know anything,' he said in that 2017 interview, recalling those days at Tottenham. 'Today if you are 18 you get five million net a year. You buy the world!'
Boateng's move to Spurs in 2007 ended after two seasons and barely 24 appearances. He had grown up with his mother and older brother George in a run-down part of Berlin and struggled living alone in Loughton, near Spurs' training ground, especially when frozen out by then manager Martin Jol.
But he bounced back playing for Jurgen Klopp while on loan at Borussia Dortmund and he ended up winning Serie A alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic at AC Milan after a spell at Portsmouth.
Boateng really clicked with Klopp, who wanted Dortmund to keep him, but a price couldn't be agreed and so he went to Portsmouth instead.
They were already hurtling towards financial meltdown but they were burning out not fading away, reaching the FA Cup final while the bailiffs moved in at Fratton Park. He scored in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley to beat Tottenham and take Pompey back to the national stadium.
It was after his Portsmouth adventure that he moved to Milan. It was in Italy, fresh from playing his part in Ghana reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in South Africa and meeting Nelson Mandela, that he played his best football and won Serie A.
He scored twice in one Champions League group match game against Barcelona, leaving now club sporting director Eric Abidal in his wake for the first of his brace.
Boateng famously stole the show at the Milan title-celebration, moonwalking dressed as Michael Jackson. It was homage to one of his biggest heroes, just 12 months after he had met another – Mandela.
'My daughter wants to marry you,' is what Mandela told him to break the ice.
'When you meet one of these people it's hard to describe the joy. Mandela was in prison for 27 years just because he was standing up for his rights and he sits there and he has no anger inside of him. It was an incredible moment for me,' Boateng said of the meeting.
In January 2013 he walked off the pitch in a friendly for Milan against Italian fourth division side Pro Patria after he had been racially abused by a section of the crowd.
That's how he ended up delivering a speech to the UN and heading up the first ever FIFA anti-racism taskforce – sadly long since abandoned without any real progress made.
He has described the speech to the UN and the ovation he received as 'the craziest moment' of his life.
He has spoken already about what he will do when he stops playing. Helping young players keep their heads while fame comes at them quickly holding bundles of cash, seems to be a priority.
When he talks to those youngsters about his career his story will now have a fascinating final chapter. An epilogue at one of the biggest clubs in the world and alongside one of the greatest players of all time.