Everybody knows Messi has agreed on extending his stay at Camp Nou until 2018 in December last year. Now, the paperwork of said deal has also been completed and Messi has signed it making it sure that contemporary soccer starlet never leaves Barca – at least for his professional lifetime. His two colleagues: defender Puyol and midfielder Xavi have already sealed their respective extension contracts last month; only Messi’s contract was pending. Barcelona, who is leading the leaderboard of La Liga with a comfortable margin is well-known for securing its star players for a longer period of time, if not for the lifetime; hence it do everything it can for maintaining its supremacy in the world of soccer. In La Liga, Barca is being followed by Atletico Madrid and then by Real Madrid. Real could be a tough challenge for it, but looking at their last few matches, it is very much unlikely they will even end their season in a close position to their arch rivals.
Braca made this announcement public by issuing a statement on its official website that reads as, “Leo Messi extended his contract with FC Barcelona through 30 June of 2018. The signing ceremony was attended by the player, president Sandro Rosell, vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the director of football Andoni Zubizarreta. Messi added two additional years to his existing contract, which was set to expire in June of 2016.”
“The player, who joined the club when he was 13 and made his first-team debut three years later, will be 31 when his contract expires.”
Messi has had a remarkable last year where he broke many records, including being the only player to score 92 goals in one calendar year. This year again brought many reasons to cheer about by crowing him FIFA’s prestigious Ballon d’Or for the fourth time in a row. Even on the pitch, he continues his train where he left last year, and fired goals one after another; perhaps his four goals haul against Osasuna was an eye lashing gift to his fans.
Messi supplemented Club’s statement by adding his own views about his extended stay with Braca, he added, “I said it before – in Europe I’d like to end my career at Barca. I wouldn’t consider moving to another European club. With that said, I’m not ruling out ending my playing career in Argentina.”