The debate over Messi’s future at Barcelona goes on.
And this time it is a former player of the club who has has piped in his two cents on the matter.
Mendieta, who spent a season with Barca in the 2002-03 campaign, told Stats Perform: “Regarding what happened, it is already in the past.
“We can go into details, but Leo has always shown he is a professional. He has shown it for many years.”
Speaking while launching the Player 4 Player management group, Mendieta said: “I think all Barcelona fans, his team-mates and people who work for the club, know Leo will give his 100 per cent this season.
“Whether he leaves or not at the end of the season, the fact is he is here, he has stayed, and he will give his best. I don’t think other thoughts are correct.
“The most important thing is having him, he is a professional and he will give all as he has been given all the time. That’s the key for Barcelona and his fans.”
“Messi would get adapted everywhere. He has already shown many times. On the left, On the right, in the middle, being a striker, being an offensive midfielder, and even being a midfielder,” Mendieta said.
“So, a player who reads and understands football as he does, he will not have any issue in any country or any club he joins.”
But is it a scenario the former Spain international, now a prominent pundit, would like to see?
“I do have mixed feelings. On one hand, I did play in different leagues and seeing him competing in another league, I would like it,” Mendieta said.
“But on the other hand, I do feel the romantic side of watching a player like him starting and finishing his career at the same club. We seldom see that nowadays and I have that feeling, that nostalgia of seeing this.
“It also means both sides have done properly, when a footballer keeps playing for that long a time with the same club.
“Especially a player with the profile of Leo who normally you believe he would be attracted by millionaire bids.
“Therefore, I think I would rather see him staying at Barca forever than seeing him playing in another competition.”
See More:Â FC Barcelona Squad 2020: Teams, Salaries, Contracts and Transfers
