There was already 'drama' brewing between Lionel Messi and Barcelona even before a ball had been kicked in the heavy Bayern Munich defeat, defender Jerome Boateng has sensationally claimed.
The humiliating 8-2 loss in Lisbon appears to have been the final straw for Messi, who has since officially informed his lifelong club of his wish to leave on a free transfer this summer.
But signs of discontent were present before a ball had even been kicked in the Champions League semi-final, with Boateng noticing that all was not harmonious within the opposition ranks.
'You noticed in advance that there was drama between Messi and Barcelona,' Boateng told Bild.
Messi went on to be marked out of the game by Bayern, who nullified his position and schooled Barca in a football masterclass.
Messi has since been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in order to link back up with his former manager Pep Guardiola.
Boateng added: 'Pep and Messi have celebrated great successes together, which is why both sides know that their philosophies would fit together.'
On Sunday, however, Messi was dealt a blow in his hopes to move on after LaLiga ruled in favour of Barca regarding the terms of the player's contract.
A La Liga statement read on Sunday: 'The contract is currently in force and has a "termination clause" applicable to the event that Lionel Andrés Messi decides to urge the early unilateral termination of the contract, carried out in accordance with article 16 of Royal Decree 1006/1985, of June 26, by which regulates the special employment relationship of professional athletes.
'In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, LaLiga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be removed from the federation if they have not previously paid the amount (£630million) of said clause.'