Lionel Messi has officially decided to leave Barcelona after more than 20 years of service for the Catalan club. The certainty came after the polemic over the contract value between Messi, Barcelona and La Liga which did not produce a meeting point.

Besides being sad news for Barcelona fans, virtual football gamers, especially Pro Evolution Soccer, of course will also feel the loss of the figure of Messi in Barcelona’s kit. Considering Messi is a player who often becomes a PES cover model almost every year.

As the owner of the Barcelona club license, Konami does have the freedom to use the Blaugrana players to decorate the PES cover every season. One of the attractions, of course, is Lionel Messi.

While reminiscing, let’s remember about the PES cover featuring the figure of Lionel Messi in Barcelona’s kit.

PES 2009

Lionel Messi’s debut as a PES game cover in PES 2009. At that time, Messi was only 21 years old but has become an important part of the Barcelona squad. Under Pep Guardiola, Messi and his friends won the La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

So, it’s not wrong if Konami finally chose Messi as the cover for PES 2009.

Pes 2010

A year later, Messi was asked to be the cover of the 2010 edition of PES. Uniquely, Messi was not the only one who appeared on the front page of the PES 2010 game. He was side by side with Fernando Torres, who at that time played in Liverpool.

PES 2011

Lionel Messi again graced the cover of the 2011 edition of PES as well as being the first player to be able to cover the PES game for three consecutive series. The election of Messi is not a surprise if you look at his performance during the 2010/2011 season with Barcelona.

Also Read: RIP PES, Here Are 5 PES Gamers Disappointments Against eFootball

PES 2017

It took 6 years to see Lionel Messi back as a PES cover. After several previous editions used Ronaldo, Gotze and Neymar, Konami again presented Messi as the cover of PES 2017.

The PES 2017 series also marks the long-term partnership between Konami and Barcelona.

PES 2020

PES 2020 again presents Lionel Messi as the cover. However, it’s not just Messi’s face that appears on the PES game cover. Konami chose three other players to accompany Messi, namely Serge Gnabry, Miralem Pjanic, and Scott McTominay.

The four players represent each team that has an exclusive contract with Konami.

PES 2021

PES 2021 Season Update may be the last PES series featuring the figure of Lionel Messi in Barcelona’s kit as the cover. If the PES or eFootball series pointed to Messi as the cover, La Pulga would no longer wear the jersey of Catalunya.

That’s a row of Messi’s actions as the cover of the PES model when wearing Barcelona kit. So starting next season, you need to get used to seeing Messi in PSG’s jersey.

Also Read: RIP PES, Here Are 5 PES Gamers Disappointments Against eFootball