There is no argument whatsoever about Lionel Messi being the most important player for Barcelona. The magician has carried the club on his shoulders for almost a decade now. His team-mate Rakatic wants him to continue playing at Barcelona while calling Messi ‘a part of Barcelona’s badge’.
The Argentine’s future is still undecided, with his current deal expiring in June 2018. The Barcelona talisman has not signed an official contract yet, despite Barca President repeatedly confirming the renewal.
https://twitter.com/CatalanEdition/status/933052397533896704
Ivan Rakitic confident of Lionel Messi’s extension
The Croatian playmaker is confident that Messi will stay at the Camp Nou.
“Messi is a part of our club’s badge and I am confident he will stay.” Rakitic said in a press conference before their game against Juventus.
“He is a very important player of course but he is much more than that if you look at his career and what he has done for the club.”
“I cannot say for certain if he will stay or not as it is his decision and you must respect that, he has earned that right.”
Lionel Messi’s contract talks have been going on for months now. Both, Barca and La Liga Presidents have confirmed the renewal. But fans are worried as there has been no official contact signing yet.
“All the fans want to see confirmation: a picture, a handshake, just like I do. I want to be playing with Leo for another three, four or five years.”
“We all enjoy playing with him but from what we have been told, things are going well between the president and Leo.” said the midfielder.
?@ivanrakitic on Juventus, #Messi and Buffon #JuveBarça https://t.co/HDYMWFiuUS
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 21, 2017
The 30-year old has been in a great form this season. His 12 goals have helped Barca to comfortably sit at the top of the league. The Catalan Club is 10 points clear of Real Madrid and 4 clear of 2nd place Valencia. The 5’7’’ magician has also scored 3 goals in 4 Champions League games and will look to add more to his tally when Barcelona faces Juventus in Turin.
Author’s Take
The Messi contract-saga has been going on for a long time now. It is really irresponsible of Barca board to keep someone like Messi’s future undecided. The club should move faster and finalize the contract. Although Messi will not leave the Catalan club, we have seen stranger things happen in football.
