Ronaldinho explains why Messi must continue at Barcelona

Ronaldinho has offered his views on Lionel Messi’s future with the Barcelona icon still out of contract this summer.

Ronaldinho has urged Lionel Messi and Barcelona to get a new deal done in order to continue their partnership.

The Brazilian believes his former teammate Messi must stay at Camp Nou and build a legacy so great that ‘nobody will touch’ his No 10 jersey once he eventually hangs up his boots.

The duo played alongside each other at Barcelona before Ronaldinho’s exit in 2008. Messi inherited the iconic jersey and hasn’t looked back since, winning six Ballon d’Or awards and countless major titles.

Barcelona are in a hurry to formalize the agreement with Lionel Messi as soon as possible, but there's no exact date set on the date of the announcement. It could happen in the first week of August, when Messi returns to training. [sport] pic.twitter.com/aqDgDmgwB4

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 26, 2021

“He must stay, he is the history of Barca,” two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho told TuttoMercatoWeb.

“When Messi retires, which I hope will be in a long time, he can leave the No 10 there and nobody will touch it again.

As of today, Messi remains a free agent. The forward has reportedly agreed on a new five-year contract, but Barcelona’s financial woes have prevented the deal from becoming official.

The Blaugrana have implemented cost-cutting measures to keep Messi and comply with La Liga’s salary cap rule. This has involved selling players, with even Antoine Griezmann at risk of being sold.