Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has once again dismissed suggestions that Lionel Messi is on the verge of an exit from the club. The superstar’s contract runs out in the summer of 2021 but he can leave the Camp Nou on a free transfer in the summer due to a special clause in his contract. There is no doubt that Barcelona are starting to prepare for a life without Messi, who is at the wrong side of 30. Even if he stays at Barcelona, Messi will be highly effective only for a couple of years. Still, that has not prevented questions about Messi’s future at the club from cropping up to the table ofBartomeu.
Bartomeu has insisted that Messi will remain at Barcelona even after the end of the season. After a difficult start of the campaign, Barcelona have once again started performing very well and it is not a surprise that Messi has been the key factor behind this revival. After struggling with the threat of missing out on the title race in the early part of the campaign,Bartomeu has seen Barcelona get back to the top of the table with a significant aid from Messi. Even though Messi is 32,Bartomeu expects the player to stay at the club at least for the next two or three seasons.
Continue reading “Lionel Messi to Stay at Barcelona, Claims President”
Moreover, they had to thank goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen for the goalless stalemate after he made a vital save to deny Marco Reus from the penalty spot. Speaking after the game, Valverde admitted that his team were second best throughout the game as they did not possess an attacking threat to make the difference.
As such, the 22-year-old has been presented with numerous questions over the past few weeks and in a recent interview, the midfielder was asked about the facet of the game to improve upon to which he replied: “I think I can improve my long-range passing a lot. I can score more goals. I don’t think it’s the most important thing as a midfielder, especially with my style of playing, but I can score more goals. I can improve my long-range shooting, going behind the defence, runs behind the defence.” 
Speaking to reporters, Mbappe said that he has a good relationship with Neymar on and off the playing field and he would prefer to work with the Brazilian for the forthcoming campaign rather than watching him part ways with the club, he told: “We all know the importance of this player after he leaves. He knows what I think of him and he knows what I think of his situation. Of course, I don’t want him to leave, I want him to stay. We have a relationship based on honesty and respect. I respect him and I admire him a lot, I told him what I thought of his situation and everything is fine.”
As such, the 22-year-old has been presented with numerous questions over the past few weeks and in a recent interview, the midfielder was asked about the facet of the game to improve upon to which he replied: “I think I can improve my long-range passing a lot. I can score more goals. I don’t think it’s the most important thing as a midfielder, especially with my style of playing, but I can score more goals. I can improve my long-range shooting, going behind the defence, runs behind the defence.” 
Speaking to El Pais, Van Gaal admitted that Messi is the best individual player in the world and he must take more responsibility for the average Champions League performance of the team, given he is the head coach, he said: “I like Messi as an individual player. He is the best individual player in the world because his statistics are amazing.
Speaking on BT Sport, Van Dijk said that he has yet to devise any strategy on limiting the threat from Messi. He added that there are 10 other players within the Blaugrana ranks and the Reds would require a collective effort in order to progress to their second Champions League final on the bounce.
Speaking after the game, Busquets lauded the efforts of the club captain but stressed that the players are not surprised with what he does on the playing field, he said: “His (Messi’s) performances may be unusual from the outside, but they do not surprise us. “What he does in training is more difficult in matches, but we are used to it.”