Lionel Messi has once again expressed his desire to sample club football in his homeland of Argentina, and inspire the national team to success before the end of his career.
Born in Rosario, the world’s greatest Number 10 relocated to Barcelona after starring in the youth ranks of the team he supported growing up, Newell’s Old Boys, aged just 13.
Despite now having spent more of his life in Spain and achieving unparalleled success with the Catalan giants, Messi still has a yearning to play in his native land before he retires, telling Argentinian magazine El Grafico:
It’s something that I would still like to do. I don’t know when, but it’s a possibility.
I haven’t set myself any goals, short or long term, but I’d like to keep playing whilst my body allows it and I have something to offer the team. When I know that it’s time, I’ll make a decision.
The national team was also up for discussion, with Messi close to breaking the all-time record number of goals scored for Argentina, currently held by Gabriel Batistuta who notched 57.
However the 28-year old current captain, who has 49 goals to his name, insists he would rather win team accolades and guide his country to success rather than break individual records:
I prefer to win something with the national team. I am not interested in records. They are there, but that does not make you win titles.
I get upset whenever we lose with Argentina because I know that we should have won. We did enough to win the World Cup and the Copa America.
