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Lionel Messi is expected to follow his heart and stay at Barcelona this summer in a bid to restore the Blaugrana to their former glory, according to his former Argentina teammate Franco Di Santo.
Speculation over Messi’s future continues to swirl, with Mercurial No.10’s contract due to expire at the end of June following his public quarrel with the club hierarchy in the summer of 2020.
This means Saturday’s meeting with Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano would be his last Clasico if he chose to leave Camp Nou.
Goal understands that the 33-year-old is completely ignoring the situation around his future until the end of the season like Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter continue to be linked with his signing.
And former Chelsea striker Di Santo believes that while it would be interesting to see the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in a new setting, he would rather stay in Catalonia.
What was said?
Addressed exclusively to Goal, Di Santo says: “He deserves respect at Barcelona for everything he’s won at the club. It’s a team game but a lot of their recent history has been about him.
“I don’t think they would have won so much without him. He is key to everything at Barcelona. And to the style of play. He deserves to be respected for what he has won in recent years.
“It would be great for anyone to sign him in the Premier League or in Italy. To see him in another context would be cool.
“However, I would like to see him stay in Barcelona to build his legacy.
“If I were him, I would ignore everything people say and do what my heart says. I would do what is best for me and my family.
Is Messi still the best player in the world?
Despite a poor start to the season and the emergence of new stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, Messi’s recent form suggests he is not ready to relinquish his crown as the world’s best player without a fight.
With 16 goals and 7 assists in 13 league games since the start of the year, Messi brought Barca back to the Spanish title race, with Ronald Koeman’s side now just one point behind faltering leaders Atletico Madrid with nine games to go.
The Blaugrana have also reached the Copa del Rey final, scheduled for April 17 against Athletic Club.
As such, a domestic brace is within reach for Messi, and Di Santo believes his recent form suggests he remains at the top of the world game.
“Just meeting Messi is amazing because he’s our other (Argentine) idol with (Diego) Maradona,” Di Santo adds. “I think with him they are the two best players in our history.
“We’ve produced so many great players, but these two are the best we’ve had.
“I think Messi is one of the best players, if not the best, at the moment. We are always happy to have him in our squad. It will be really hard to see another player like him in the future.”
Further reading
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