Messi fears football will never be the same again after pandemic

In this photo provided by FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi trains in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday May 8, 2020. Soccer players in Spain returned to train for the first time since the country entered a lockdown nearly two months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Miguel Ruiz/FC Barcelona via AP)

Lionel Messi thinks that football and life, in general, will never be the same again after the worldwide devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Barcelona icon has expressed his sadness for families who have been unable to see loved ones or say goodbye to them, and thinks the experiences that everyone has lived through will ensure that the world feels like a changed place.

With many still reeling from the destruction and lives lost due to the virus, football has slowly begun to plot a way back towards the pitch.

The Premier League have announced their intention to return on June 17, while La Liga's first match back will be the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis on Thursday, June 11.

Messi's Barcelona will then be back in action with a visit to Mallorca on June 13, but the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's focus is still on matters off the pitch.

"Almost all of us are left with doubt about how the world is going to be after everything that happened," Messi told El Pais, via Marca.

"Beyond the lockdown and the situation that caught us by surprise, many people had a really hard time because this situation affected them in some way, such as those who lost relatives and friends and could not even bid them farewell.

"I think there were many negatives in this crisis, but there can be nothing worse than losing the people you love the most, that creates enormous frustration for me and it seems to me the most unfair of all."

When pressed on how the crisis will affect football going forward, he added: "Football will never be the same.

"But not only football. I think that life in general will never be the same."