Monday, 21st April, 2014
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has said that star striker Lionel Messi will soon be offered an improved contract, insisting that the player deserves a modification.
The Argentine footballer is a product of the club’s La Masia academy and has scored 241 goals in 273 league appearances for the Catalans since making his debut in 2004.
He has scored 26 goals in the league this season, but has failed to perform in important games. With Barcelona falling to third in La Liga, losing the Spanish Cup and being eliminated from the Champions League, the 27-year old has had to bear the brunt of the club’s slump in performances with severe criticism from all quarters.
But Bartomeu insists Messi is an asset to the Spanish side, and even though his current contract expires in 2018, he feels the club need to offer him an improved one.
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"We want to improve it because he deserves it, to adapt it to football's current circumstance", he told Esport3.
"We are being unfair to Leo. Our club members need to understand that we must take care of Messi.
"He has made such an important contribution to this club and he will continue to do so. That's why we have no doubt that he will lead the future of the club.
"He is young, he is the best player in the world, and we believe in him."
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