Barcelona Transfer News: Lionel Messi Hopes for Return to Argentina

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has revealed he would like to play in Argentinian football at some point in the future.

Speaking with FIFA after securing the fifth Ballon d’Or award of his distinguished career, Messi was asked whether the passionate fans in his homeland make him want to return further down the line:

"

Yes. I’ve always said that. It was always my dream when I was a boy, though I had to leave at a very early age because of my situation and it didn’t happen. I had to go to Europe, start out with Barcelona and make my career there. 

But I would like to return to Argentinian football one day. What happens after that, only God knows.

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Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Messi’s youth career was spent with Argentinian outfit Newell’s Old Boys, before he was snapped up by the Barcelona academy in 2001. Since making his debut for the senior team, the forward has gone on to become the finest footballer in the world and, in the eyes of many, the very best player in the game’s history.

During his stint with Barcelona, Messi has won an incredible seven league titles and the Champions League on four occasions. 

As noted by Bleacher Report UK, the latest Ballon d’Or award for the 28-year-old has come at the conclusion of what was a superb 2015 for Messi:

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe and Dean Jones outlined the reasons why the Barcelona icon deserved to be named as the world’s best player once again:

There are always questions about what the future has in store for the greatest player of this generation, though. At the Ballon d’Or ceremony he claimed “my idea is to finish at home, and my home is Barcelona,” per FourFourTwo.

However, that’s not stopped links with moves elsewhere, with Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague posting on Monday that Manchester City preserve a genuine interest in the Barcelona man:

It’d be a massive surprise if we were to ever see Messi make a move to another European club.

Sometimes it’s not a case of always striving for more; as Messi noted, the Catalan club is his “home.”

David Ramos/Getty Images

Barcelona clearly cherish him too, as is evident by the following clip they put together after Messi’s fifth Ballon d’Or title was confirmed, documenting their star man’s rise to the top:

With that taken into consideration, the pull of his homeland is surely the only factor that can prise Messi away from the Camp Nou before his playing days are done. As he noted himself, playing in front of those passionate Argentinian fans every week is a simple “dream” that was never realised for a footballer who has accomplished so much.

Barcelona fans needn’t worry, as it’s a transfer that surely won’t go ahead until the twilight of Messi’s career. But given what he’s accomplished at the Camp Nou, should he decide a return to his country of birth is what he wants, then few would stand in his way.