Lionel Messi is happy at Barcelona: Ronald Koeman

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has said that Lionel Messi is happy to be at the club. Koeman admitted that he had to reiterate the point a lot.

Messi scored against Real Valladolid on Tuesday to take his tally of goals at Barcelona to 644, overtaking Brazilian legend Pele as the all-time top goalscorer at a single club.

Barcelona boss Koeman praises Messi, Pedri and Pjanic's performances against Real Valladolid

Lionel Messi scored a goal yesterday

Lionel Messi's Barcelona future has been a hot topic of discussion in recent months, with the Argentine superstar having announced his decision to leave Barcelona during the summer transfer window.

However, a move failed to materialize and Messi continued as captain of Barcelona. Messi's contract with the club expires next summer and there have been no signs of him wanting to sign a new deal.

Having said that, Messi produced an impressive performance against Real Valladolid yesterday, capping it off with a goal.

Find someone who looks at you like Messi looks at a football 😍 pic.twitter.com/tmcLkcZG9x

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 22, 2020

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman was once again quizzed about the 33-year-old's future at the club to which he relied:

"I've said it a lot. I see Leo happy here. He's very important for us with his creativity. You can see that when there are good players alongside him."

Koeman also praised the performances of talented young midfielder Pedri as well as veteran star Miralem Pjanic, who both displayed fine form against Real Valladolid.

"Pedri is a very good player when he plays in the middle. Pjanic had to wait for his chance but he played a great game. He was good with the ball, but also defensively," Koeman added.

Lionel Messi: 644 Barcelona goalsPele: 643 Santos goalsNo one has scored more goals for a single club than Lionel Messi 👑 pic.twitter.com/99z4m9tJAS

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 22, 2020

Barcelona sit fifth in the league table after the win over Real Valladolid, and are just two points behind third-placed Real Sociedad. The Camp Nou outfit has two games in hand as well.

Koeman has come under immense pressure in recent weeks following some poor performances from the side. The Dutchman became the manager of Barcelona in the summer, replacing Quique Setien.

The 57-year old left the Netherlands national team job to take over at the Catalan club, where he enjoyed incredible success as a player.

With Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in solid form and Barcelona going through a tumultuous period, it remains unlikely that the Blaugrana will challenge for the La Liga title this season.

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