Messi's current deal still has two years to run, but Barca are confident that the 32-year-old can still play at his prime.
Lionel Messi
Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, has said he will not sign a lucrative lifetime deal with the club.
The Catalan club were prepared to offer the deal to their greatest ever player, which would ensure he finishes his football at the Nou Camp.
Messi’s current deal still has two years to run, but Barca are confident that the 32-year-old can still play at his prime beyond the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
However, Messi made a rare public appearance on Argentine radio station Metro 95.1, to feature on the ‘dogs of the street’ broadcast.
And he said: “It is true that Barcelona proposed me a contract for life, but what I said was that I do not want a contract that binds me like that.
“I want to be fine to continue playing and to continue fighting for goals here. Being here I can be for life, but not with a contract. Here I would stay a lifetime.”