More than a club. That’s the motto Football Club Barcelona have always worn on their sleeve with great pride.

Yet, over the last 12 years, the club became second fiddle to the man who responds to the name of Lionel Messi. No player has arguably left such an indelible mark on a club in world football as the Catalans became Football Club Messi more and Football Club Barcelona less.

If Messi finally leaves a club with which he grew up — the Argentine was just 13 when he landed in the Spanish city from Rosario — it may give Barcelona a chance to prove they are more than just Messi.

Messi’s importance could be gauged from the fact that if he didn’t smile during a practice session, the Barcelona brass would go into a huddle to discuss if everything was fine with their talisman. That’s probably the reason why Jose Manuel Pinto, reserve goalkeeper from 2008-14, stayed in Barcelona since it was believed he always kept friend Leo in good spirits.

Messi made his first team debut at the age of 17 in 2004 and grew in stature with every season. From jersey No. 30 to 19 and 2008 onwards, after a floundering Ronaldinho was deemed excess baggage in new coach Pep Guardiola’s scheme of things, Messi made the No. 10 his very own.

Just by numbers, Messi in Barcelona is staggering. The six-time Ballon d’Or award winner has scored a mindblowing 634 goals, which includes 36 hat-tricks, and won 34 titles. It’s jaw-dropping.

As Messi soared taking Barcelona under his wings, the number of fans supporting the club worldwide swelled. Waking up at odd hours just to watch his brilliance became the routine across continents. That is now in danger if Messi presses the exit button. The man becoming more significant than the shirt? May be.

When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus, it was shocking but the club was never in danger of losing their fans around the world. But with Messi it’s different. He is seen as the face of Barcelona, the man who could never leave the only club he has played professional football for, the magician who is synonymous with everything that is Barcelona.

It’s not the first time that Messi has had a run-in with the Barca board. In the summer of 2008, when Messi was desperate to play for Argentina in the Beijing Olympics, the then Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, was adamant to not let his new No. 10 go to China for the Games. It was only after Guardiola intervened that Messi became part of the Argentine squad which went on to win the gold.

By giving the nod to the then 21-year-old, Pep won the trust of the player he saw as the main cog in the Barca wheel. A happy Messi returned to Camp Nou and the rest, as they say, is history.

Barcelona trampled everyone en route to a treble — La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

This time, though, it could be the right time. An opportunity for an institution to rise above an individual.