Lionel Messi is Barcelona's most prized asset and those associated with the Catalan institution let out a collective sigh of relief when the Argentine agreed to stay after a protracted dispute.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner came closer to an exit from Camp Nou than ever before this summer by officially declaring his desire to leave, but he eventually relented - albeit after airing his grievances in an exclusive interview with Goal.
Keeping Messi happy is a crucial part of ensuring the talisman remains at the club and that reality has not been lost on the presidential hopefuls who seek to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu.
The 33-year-old has expressed his annoyance about the sense that "there has been no project" at Barcelona for too long and it's little surprise to see candidates building campaigns around resolving that very issue.
Others have even resorted to massaging the star's ego by making the point that Messi is deserving of a statue next to that which already stands of Johan Cruyff.
It's abundantly clear that placating Messi, to some extent at least, is a key consideration for those who run Barca, but does a 'Lionel Messi rule' extend to his team-mates and the training pitch?
Do Barcelona have a 'Lionel Messi rule'?
The perceived idea that Barcelona have some sort of 'Lionel Messi rule' emerged after an interview given by Jean-Clair Todibo to German outlet Bild in January 2020.
Essentially, the French defender hinted at an unwritten rule which dictates that the Barca players do their best not to injure Messi during training sessions.
"We all knew that he couldn't get injured," Todibo said in the interview with Bild.
"I learned a lot [from Messi], and also stole a few balls from him [in training]. But you go easy on Messi, nobody wants to hurt him."
Little was made of Todibo's comments until a number of months later in the summer, when speculation regarding the Argentine's future at the club began to intensify and his influence came under scrutiny. At that point some headlines appeared referring to the 'Lionel Messi rule'.
So is there a such thing as the 'Lionel Messi rule'? The short answer is no - there is no evidence to suggest that Barcelona have adopted a policy which prohibits players from tackling Messi too aggressively in training.
However, there is certainly a degree of logic to the idea of ensuring that your best player is fit and healthy to play in as many games as possible.
In that respect, Todibo's comment that they "go easy" on him, makes sense and it is entirely possible that many of the players train with that thought in the back of their minds.
That said, it does not necessarily tally with other testimonies regarding Messi in Barcelona training and the intensity of the sessions - in which players don't really seem to "go easy" - can easily be seen on the club's official YouTube channel.
Former team-mates have spoken of Messi's own ferocity in training, for example, relaying how the Argentine never shied away from physicality, particularly in the early days.
Speaking to Bleacher Report in early 2020, ex Barca youth player Ramon Maso said that Messi "always shows up. He never shirks." Another product of La Masia, Jordi Gomez, who was at the academy at the same time, stressed that the Argentine trained exactly as he played.
Things may have changed somewhat in recent years, with Messi's body - like everyone else's - subject to the ravages of time and perhaps there is a little more care taken among the seasoned professionals at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
But for now we can take it that there is no 'rule' and, considering Messi's world-beating competitiveness, it seems likely that he wouldn't even want one.