COMMENT: Barcelona crisis. Messi v Enrique. 'It's me or him'. Remember those headlines?
Crazy thing is, the press in both Madrid and Barcelona were running these stories THIS YEAR. In fact, it was as late as February we were all debating who would go first - Luis Enrique or Lionel Messi - and the cataclysmic fallout it would bring.
Fast forward to today (barely six weeks) and on the pitch, the contrast couldn't be starker. Barca sit clear at the top of the La Liga table, will meet Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and are preparing for a Champions League quarterfinal against PSG.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his Ballon d'Or triumph, with his 'Siiiii!' celebration has quickly been relegated. It's Messi we're all celebrating again. The little Argie is once more the world's No1.
So why the sudden turnaround? What happened at La Masia to transform a flat, disinterested Messi, to again taking his place at the game's summit?
Could it have been a touch of humility? A recognition from Messi that his way isn't always the right way?
That blow-up at the La Masia training complex between Enrique and Messi has been a catalyst for something special. It was a clash that had been in the works for some time.
"...Messi lost it a little bit and there was a bit of friction between them. What needed to be said was said," Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu would let slip later on French radio.
Nothing was working. Messi was disinterested. Neymar was struggling. And the anticipated introduction of Luis Suarez had fallen flat.
Enrique was also fed-up. Messi's supporters in the Catalan press were sharpening their knives. Talk of the Argentine throwing his weight around inside the locker room was making it to the backpages. The season was lumbering towards disaster.
But then Messi did something which none of us saw coming. He actually took a step back and listened to Enrique. The coach wanted to restructure the attack, pushing Messi away from the apex of the triumvirate to the left-flank, swapping him with Suarez.
Messi listened. And rather than letting his ego run wild, did what was best for the team. Both Messi and Barca haven't looked back since.
One of the most memorable moments of this season was Messi nutmegging Manchester City midfielder James Milner at the Nou Camp. It was done exactly in the area of the pitch where Enrique wanted the Argie to operate. It was an action that had Pep Guardiola, the Bayern Munich coach, jumping up and down in his seat with astonishment. Yet, it was an instant we'd never have seen if Messi was still labouring in a central role.
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But could you imagine Carlo Ancelotti convincing Ronaldo that Real Madrid would be stronger with another player in his role? Or what about Wayne Rooney and his feud with Sir Alex Ferguson? That disagreement over the Manchester United captain's position almost led to him leaving the club.
And these instances are involving coaches with long, successful records behind them. Why would Messi, a four-time Ballon d'Or winner, listen to a coach of Enrique's experience? Sacked by AS Roma and one mid-table finish with Celta Vigo? No-one would've blamed him if he'd pulled rank and called on president Josep Maria Bartomeu to show Enrique the door.
Sure there was some give-and-take from both sides. But it was Messi who held the power. And it was he who chose not to go the atomic option, instead backing down and taking a serious look at what Enrique was arguing.
Speaking to some close to La Masia this week, they offer a different explanation to Messi's sudden form surge.
It's claimed the relationship between Messi and Enrique is one of convenience. That the No10's form has come out of sheer spite. To prove Enrique wrong and after Ronaldo's 'Siiiii!' histrionics to show the world that he is the best.
The argument does have weight. After all, for the multitude of questions put to Ronaldo about his rivalry with Messi, we rarely hear from the Barca man about his thoughts on the Portuguese. January's Ballon d'Or snub and the Real star's celebration may have just been too much.
We're no fawners when it comes to the Argentine. We play it straight down the line. We covered the carpark dust-up with Alvaro Arbeloa, the demeaning of younger teammates and the confrontations with the Real dugout.
But this time, rather than take the cynical line, we'd like to believe Messi, by checking his ego and opening his mind, has shown us another side to his genius this season.
More:
Luis Enrique: Why the Barcelona coach is EMBARRASSING Premier League chairmen
Daniel Alves: Forget Liverpool, Man Utd - why Barcelona future not yet over
