Messi hints he mayone day leaveBarcelona

Messi hints he mayone day leaveBarcelona

Source:The Star Online

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Argentina captain Lionel
Messi has given the strongest hint yet he could

consider leaving Barcelona, saying in an interview
published in Ole newspaper on Tuesday "things
can change a lot in soccer".

The four-times World Player of the Year, who
joined Barca's academy at the age of 13, has not
been at his scintillating best over the past 18
months and has also had problems with the
Spanish tax authorities.

Now 27, Messi probably has at least five years
left at the top of the game and if the right offer
was made, likely to be a world record fee in
excess of 100 million euros ($125 million), it is
not inconceivable he could quit Barca.

Probed about his future plans, Messi told Ole he
was living "in the present" and was focusing on
winning titles with Barca after failure to secure
major silverware in 2013-14.

"After that we'll see," he said, when asked if he
was still planning to stay at Barca for his entire
professional career.

"Things can change a lot in soccer. While I have
always said I would like to stay there (at Barca)
forever, sometimes things don't work out the way
you would like."

Quizzed about whether he would choose to leave
or whether it would happen because of someone
else's decision, Messi added:

"Yes, I have said it many times. If it was up to
me I would stay forever.
"But as I just said, sometimes not everything
happens in the way you would like.
"The more so in football, which is so volatile and
where so many things happen.

"It's complicated, the more so during the
moments like those Barcelona is experiencing
right now."

Barca are second in La Liga, two points behind
Real Madrid after 11 matches, and have qualified
for the Champions League knockout round.