Lionel Messi: 5 reasons why staying at Barcelona is the right decision

And so there we have it! Lionel Messi has finally cleared all the smog surrounding his contract at Barcelona as the Argentine has put pen to paper to extend his contract to 2021 – meaning that he will be 34 by the time this deal expires.

At that point in time, it could be safe to claim that Messi won’t be the player that he is now. As a result, this deal all but confirms that La Pulga will be spending his best years at Camp Nou, serving the club that gave him the chance to be the player that he is today.

And with countless trophies at both club and individual level, he has more than repaid the faith shown in him. As he stays in Spain for the next 4 years, here are 5 reasons why his decision to sign was absolutely correct…

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#5 Barcelona in transition phase

The last time Barcelona were at such a phase of transition was back in 2008, Lionel Messi was only at the initial stages of his career but had to be moved to the centre of things by Pep Guardiola. The Catalan manager axed Ronaldinho and placed the mantle on Messi to take the club to new heights.

However, back then, he wasn’t among the senior players in the team and got a lot of help from Samuel Eto’o. One could almost say that that transition was overseen more by the likes of Eto’o and Xavi than young Messi.

This time around, though, it is Messi who is the one engineering this transition in collaboration with manager Ernesto Valverde. Indeed, this is unlike any challenge he has faced in his Barcelona career, hence leaving would have deprived him of something challenging – something that could imprint another uniqueness to his name.

#4 Age factor

Messi isn't getting any younger

Okay, let’s get something straight: as much as we hate to admit it, age will always get the better of everyone. No matter how optimum the level of fitness of a said player is, age always finds a way to creep in from behind and grab the victim with its claws.

At some point in Messi’s career, this is going to happen to him – and he has already fallen in that danger zone of the 30s. At this point in his career, it is better for him to not seek solace in uncharted territories. If Messi left, he would have had to go to another league because there was no way he would join Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid don’t have the financial muscle to land him.

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain do have the appeal about them, but both these clubs are in another league and at 30, adapting to another league just doesn’t make much sense from Messi’s perspective.

Yes, there might be arguments that great players adapt and all that, but after so many goals and so many accolades, is there still a doubt about the Argentina captain’s greatness?

#3 Family

Messi loves his family

The Barcelona number 10 might have been born in Argentina, but make no mistake: Catalonia is also his home. He came here in his childhood and spent a good part of it at La Masia. As a result, Messi’s family stays in Barcelona together with him.

Now a footballer’s life is glamorous, no doubt about that, but behind the limelight and the posh tuxedos, shiny hair wax and Hollywood smiles, footballers are humans and have the same problems like a general human has.

For one, moving out of Spain would mean that Messi would have to relocate with his entire family. This means that he would have to get a new house and find a new school for his elder son, Thiago. Also, the fact that young Thiago has been at school for years means that he is already accustomed to his surrounding and has friends who he wouldn’t want to leave.

You might now think that I sound ridiculous but given that Messi loves his children and looks like a family-oriented person and this is actually something that could have played a massive role in the former Newell’s starlet’s decision.

#2 Best league

What was common between these three players back then?

This might irk a few, but it can’t be denied that La Liga is the best league in the world. Now, some might claim that there isn’t enough competition in Spain and, hence, it can’t be labelled as the best. Well, in that case, the Segunda – the second division of Spain – should be given the tag of the best in the world due to the fact that 10th placed Tenerife are only 7 points behind current league-leaders, Huesca.

Putting banter aside, despite the fact that Spanish teams – save Barca – haven’t done so well in the Champions League this season, Spain are still the reference point for others. And there is a good reason for it.

The last time a non-Spanish club won the Champions League was four years ago in 2013 when Bayern Munich lifted the title. Since then, it has been a total Spanish domination with Real Madrid winning it thrice and Barcelona once while Atletico Madrid also appeared in two finals.

In short, Messi is the best and should be playing in the best league because that’s where he belongs and that’s where he should be!

#1 Unbeatable legacy

Messi's legacy could become unbeatable

Lionel Messi has already achieved EVERYTHING there is to achieve at Barcelona. Be it the highest goalscorer in the history of the club or all the club trophies available, he has won it all. And now what’s left is creating a legacy that can never be beaten by anyone else.

And it is really possible for him to do that.

For starters, he needs to overtake Xavi Hernandez as the player with most appearances for the club. Right now, he sits at number 3 behind Andres Iniesta and the aforementioned Xavi. Xavi played a total 767 games during his time at Barca and Messi is currently at 602.

If he fulfils this contract, then there is little doubt that he will overtake that record and given the way he scores, it might not be an exaggeration to claim that he will get at least another 150 goals in the next 4 years – taking his tally to 673 by the end of his Barca career.

And there will be some more trophies along the way, which would make his legacy almost unbeatable. Perhaps, definitely unbeatable.

And this factor alone makes it a great decision for him to stay at Barca.