It may not be Barca forever for Messi

BARCELONA — Lionel Messi has suggested that his future could lie away from Barcelona, a development that could interest English Premier League champions Manchester City.

The four-time World Player of the Year, who played in Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Portugal in a friendly at Old Trafford on Tuesday (yesterday morning, Singapore time), has not been at his scintillating best over the past 18 months and has also had problems with the Spanish tax authorities.

Now 27, Messi probably has at least five years left at the top of the game and if the right offer was made, likely to be a world record fee in excess of €100 million (S$163.5 million), it is not inconceivable he could quit Barca.

Probed about his future plans, Messi told sports daily Ole he was living “in the present” and was focusing on winning titles with Barcelona after failure to secure major silverware in 2013-14.

“After that we’ll see,” he said, when asked if he was still planning to stay at Barca for his entire professional career.

“Things can change a lot in football. While I have always said I would like to stay there (at Barcelona) forever, sometimes things don’t work out the way you would like.”

It is not known if Messi’s cryptic response is related to his relationship with Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. The Catalan giants are second in the Spanish Primera Division, two points behind Real Madrid after 11 games.

Last month, Messi reportedly refused to be replaced by Munir El-Haddadi in their 3-0 league win over Eibar, with Enrique having to order the Argentinian off.

Messi’s current deal at Barcelona, which has an exit clause worth €250 million, expires in June 2018. However, he has been linked with City, where former Barcelona executives Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain are the club’s CEO and director of football, respectively.

The squad also contains Messi’s national team-mates Martin Demichelis, Pablo Zabaleta and close friend Sergio Aguero.

Messi, Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer with 365 goals in 440 appearances, reiterated he would like to stay at the Camp Nou for the rest of his career.

But he added: “(But) sometimes not everything happens in the way you would like. The more so in football, which is so volatile and where so many things happen. It’s complicated, the more so during the moments like those Barcelona is experiencing right now.”

Messi had a tepid performance in Argentina’s friendly against Portugal on Tuesday, where he and Cristiano Ronaldo were substituted at half-time, much to the disappointment of the Old Trafford crowd as substitute Raphael Guerreiro’s injury-time header sealed the win for Portugal.

However, Manchester United will be sweating over the fitness of winger Angel di Maria, who was sent for X-rays after a heavy challenge from Portugal’s Nani.

But Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said: “It was a tough knock. It cut the skin a little bit. But we have had a look at it and we are evaluating the situation.” AGENCIES

Selected results of Tuesday’s other internationals*:

Austria 1 Brazil 2, Belarus 3 Mexico 2, Chile 1 Uruguay 2, France 1 Sweden 0, Italy 1 Albania 0, Japan 2 Australia 1, Scotland 1 England 3, Spain 0 Germany 1.

* Home team first.