This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Barcelona is preparing for the future, with reports suggesting that the club is planning to extend Lionel Messi's contract beyond his active days. According to Mundo Deportivo, Messi will be handed a new deal that will see him end his career at the Nou Camp.
As Messi's current deal is set to expire in two years' time, the club chiefs are eager to keep him at the club, even beyond his playing days. The report notes that the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, is banking on his existing relationship with Messi's father, Jorge, to seal the new deal.
Interestingly, the club's eggheads believe that Messi still has more to offer Barcelona and are confident that he will still have his magic beyond the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, at which time he will be celebrating his 35th birthday anniversary.
At the last count, Messi has netted 419 times in 452 games for Barcelona, winning countless individual awards in 15 glorious years at the top level. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner started his career with boyhood club Newell's Old Boys before switching to Barcelona in 2001.
