Messi Extends Barca Contract

Lionel Messi has signed a new contract at Barcelona through the end of the 2020/21 season, the club has confirmed.

The new deal includes a staggering $935 million release clause which looks set to end all speculation over a future move away from the Nou Camp, the Independent reported.

A renewal was agreed between the player and club in July but it is only now that Messi has put pen to paper on the contract.

Throughout his career at Barca the 30-year-old has scored 523 goals in 602 games and is both the club’s and La Liga’s all-time leading goalscorer.

He was awarded a fourth Golden Shoe on Friday to add to his trophy haul, which includes five Ballon d’Or awards, four Champions League titles and six La Liga Player of the Year accolades.

By the end of the 2020/21 season, when Messi’s new contract is set to expire, the Argentine will have spent a total of 17 years with Barcelona’s first team.

The 30-year-old had been tentatively linked with Premier League sides this summer but has committed his future to the club he joined at the age of 13.

A statement released on the club’s website said: “Barcelona and Leo Messi have agreed on a contract renewal that will keep the Argentinean at the club until June 30, 2021. The deal will be signed in the coming weeks when Messi returns to the team for pre-season training.”

“The club is very happy with both the renewal and the commitment of Messi, the best player in history, who has played his full professional career at Barca and has led the team to an era of extraordinary success, the likes of which has never been seen in world football,” the statement added.

Without Neymar, Messi’s role as a creator and goalscorer has increased in a Barca side that has unusually built its stunning start to the season on a defensive record of 13 clean sheets in 18 games.