Lionel Messi given early holidays, might have played final Barca game

Should Messi not sign a new contract then his final game for the club would be last weekend's game against Celta Vigo.

May 21, 2021 03:47 pm | Updated 03:47 pm IST - BARCELONA

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. File

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. File

Lionel Messi has been given permission by Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman to miss this weekend's final La Liga match of the season against Eibar and take holiday, the club confirmed on Friday, meaning he may have played his last game for Catalan side.

The Argentine's contract expires at the end of June and there has been no announcement on an extension.

He requested to leave the club last year and was linked by British and Spanish media with a move to Manchester City or Paris St Germain, but ultimately stayed put for one more season.

Should Messi not sign a new contract then his final game for the club would be last weekend's dismal 2-1 defeat at the Camp Nou to Celta Vigo.

The 33-year-old has netted 30 times in La Liga this season and is set to win Spain's Golden Boot - the Pichichi Trophy - however Koeman's side can at best finish third, behind arch rivals Real Madrid and title favourites Atletico Madrid.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.