Lionel Messi formally signs two-year contract extension with Barcelona

Lionel Messi has signed his two-year contract extension with Barcelona.

The Argentina superstar put pen to paper on his new deal at the Nou Camp this afternoon and is now tied to the Catalan giants until June 30, 2018.

Messi follows in the footsteps of fellow club stalwarts Xavi and Carles Puyol, both of whom signed their extensions last month.

Barca announced in December they had agreed new contracts with the trio.

Barca defender Jordi Alba is delighted Messi, who will be 31 when his new deal expires, has committed his long-term future to the club.

"I can't imagine what Messi will be like in 2018, but it's great news for Barca fans that he's staying," said the Spain international today.

"He is the best player in the world and as long as nothing happens, he'll be the best ever. We'll try to make him feel as comfortable here as we can."

Messi, 25, came up through the youth ranks at Barca before making his competitive debut against Espanyol in 2004 at the age of 17.

Since then he has established himself as one of the best players in history, breaking numerous records in the process.

He won his fourth straight FIFA World Player of the Year award last month following a remarkable 2012 in which he scored 91 goals - smashing the world record of 85 in a calendar year set by Bayern Munich and West Germany striker Gerd Muller in 1972.

While setting that record, Messi became the first man to score five times in a Champions League game as Barca crushed Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 last March.

Three weeks after that he became Barca's all-time leading goalscorer after a brace against Granada moved him on to 233 official goals, one more than the previous record set by Cesar Rodriguez during the 1940s and 50s.

He has been in similarly stunning form in 2013 and his goal in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Valencia was a league-record 12th consecutive game in which he found the net.

During his time at the Nou Camp, Messi has also helped Barca win a host of silverware, including five Primera Division titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copa del Rey crowns and two FIFA Club World Cups.

Ronaldo is unfortunate to play in the Messi era, says Larsson

The Celtic legend has nothing but praise for the Portuguese, but feels the four-time Ballon d'Or winner is an even better player

Former Barcelona star Henrik Larsson feels Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo is unfortunate to be playing in the same era as Lionel Messi.

Larsson has stressed that Ronaldo has a lot of quality as well, but believes he is no match for the Argentina internationa.

"I don't think there's too much difference between the two of them because they are both great players," Larsson told Xarxa.

"Cristiano is unlucky to be playing at the same time as Messi. Ronaldo is a very good player, but Messi is even better.

"Messi has won the Ballon d'Or in the past few years, four years in a row to be more precise. 

"He is from out of this world. He's so good that it's almost incredible. When you see him with the ball at his feet it's hard to believe that anybody else could do the same. He's a fantastic player to see."

Messi has already netted 34 goals in 22 Liga appearances for Barcelona this term and signed a new contract at Camp Nou until 2018 on Thursday.
 

Neymar-FC Barcelona, Villa-Arsenal FC, Bale-Bayern Munich - 5 deals to watch

 

Clubs already looking at possible summer transfer targets as the transfer speculation involving high-profile players continues to make headlines.

FootballTips.com writer Thomas Rooney looks at five transfer deals that could be on the cards this summer...

1. Neymar to BarcelonaNeymar may not have impressed many with his performance against England in midweek, but the Brazil international is a supreme talent. So much so that the top European clubs are chasing his signature. The No.1 contenders? Barcelona, who could make their move in the summer.

Chelsea, Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have also shown interest in the 21-year-old.

2. Gareth Bale to Bayern MunichThis is just a hunch, but Bale's future is bound to be discussed this summer. If Tottenham fail to reach the Champions League, the Welsh winger will surely be on the move.

Pep Guardiola will take over at Bayern Munich in the summer of course and he could target Bale as one of his first recruits. You can see him excelling in the Bundesliga too and Guardiola will believe he can get the best out of him.

3. Thomas Ince to LiverpoolInce nearly moved to Liverpool in January, but his father, Paul, encouraged his son to stay at Blackpool and continue to play first team football.

Liverpool are likely to be back in for the England Under-21 man though and as Brendan Rodgers continues to build a young and exciting team, Ince could well be one of the first summer recruits.

4. Gary Hooper to NorwichThis move never materialised in January, but Norwich's four bids for the Celtic striker showed how interested they are in securing his signature.

The Canaries could go back in for Hooper too. In the summer, he will only have one year remaining on his contract and he is definitely going to be keen to move to the Premier League.

If Norwich are willing to spend around £7million on him - the amount they bid in January - they could get their man.

5. David Villa to ArsenalThis is another move that was much discussed in January and everything seems set up nicely to go ahead on the summer.

Although the player was keen to move to England, Barcelona didn't want to sell him halfway through the season. With time to recruit a placement though, this could change in the summer.

There will be competition for Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger could ensure first-team football and sell the club as a whole to Villa.

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