- 23 hours ago
I hope ‘special’ Messi remains at Barcelona – Ter Stegen
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 17 May 2021 22:10 BST
- 2 min read
Lionel Messi is a “special” talent that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen wants to see remain with Barcelona beyond the end of his current contract.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s future is currently uncertain. His deal with the club is up at the end of the season and he was previously close to departing the club last summer.
While the resignation of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu has brought a “light at the end of the tunnel” to the saga, according to presidential hopeful Victor Font, the Catalans will remain edgy over the case until everything is official.
Manchester City continue to hold an interest in the attacker, for example.
Ter Stegen, though, is eager to see the club’s record marksman put pen to paper.
“It’s always an advantage to have Messi on the team because he can score goals out of nowhere – that’s what makes him so special,” he told BarcaTV.
“I hope he continues here and can be happy. You have to give him the opportunity to be above things because he’s an extremely important part of our game.”
Messi, who turns 34 next June, has spent his entire professional career with the Catalan side.
He is just eight short of 500 league appearances for the club, while he has score 640 goals for the first team.
During his career, he has won a raft of trophies, including 10 Spanish league titles, six Copas del Rey and four Champions League crowns.
Barcelona, though, find themselves in a transitional period this season. Under new head coach Ronald Koeman, they have been adversely affect by big cuts brought about by the coronavirus crisis.
Presently, they only rank eighth in La Liga, although they have played two matches fewer than many of their rivals.
On Saturday, they face Atletico Madrid in a vital clash.
