Stoichkov blow to Man City: Messi will retire at Barcelona

David Lynch

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 1 min read

Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov expects Lionel Messi to sign a new contract with the club and stay until he retires.

The Argentine expressed a desire to leave Camp Nou last summer after growing disillusioned with Barca’s direction under president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Manchester City were thought to be exploring the possibility of reuniting the 33-year-old with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

And, though a transfer failed to materialise, Messi could still make the switch to the Premier League this summer when his current deal expires.

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However, Stoichkov does not believe that will happen, claiming the Catalan club’s iconic No.10 will eventually commit his future.

“I think Messi is going to retire at Barcelona,” he told Radio MARCA.

“There has been a lot of talk about him, but I don’t believe 99.9 percent of it.”