Barcelona reveal what will happen when Messi retires

Barcelona reveal what will happen when Messi retires

Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has said the club wants to keep Lionel Messi even beyond his playing days.

Bartomeu also confirmed the LaLiga champions are planning to offer the Argentine superstar a new contract.

Messi re-signed with Barca in 2017, an extension that runs through to 2021.

The 31-year-old, who made his competitive debut for Barca in October 2004 at the tender age of 17, has scored a LaLiga-high 32 goals in 2018-19 and 42 in all competitions.

"We want him to have a really long career so we can keep on enjoying him.

"Lionel's managed to break down borders. Everyone admires him and he's applauded at other stadiums by rival fans.

"We would like to renew his contract, that's the idea. He is young - you can see that [in his performances] - and he still has two years on his deal. He's always improving, always innovating. I believe he still has many years in front of him and in the coming months we will sit down with him so that he has many more years at Barcelona.

"Messi is a one-club man. It's more than what he does on the pitch - his relationship with Barca will last forever. I use the example of Pele, who was always at Santos. We want Messi to always be at Barca, whether that's playing or linked to the club [when he's retired]," Bartomeu told ESPN.

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