Barcelona put up Lionel Messi's locker at Camp Nou for auction, set starting price of €350,000: Reports

Barcelona have put Lionel Messi's locker at Camp Nou up for auction, starting at €350,000, as the club continue to deal with their financial distress (via Tribuna). The legendary playmaker spent 21 years at Barca, breaking into the first team and becoming the best player in their long history.

Messi's locker isn't the only one for sale, with lockers of other players like Ronaldinho, Gerard Pique, Neymar Jr, and Luis Suarez also up for auction. However, the Argentine legend's locker is set to have the highest value, with the club looking to sell the locker for more than €350,000.

Lockers aren't the only items of memorabilia getting auctioned from the ongoing Camp Nou renovation. The club will also sell off corner flags, some grass patches on the pitch, and even the substitutes' bench area glass. Other items for sale include photos of Barcelona's UEFA Champions League winning teams.

The club have been pulling financial levers and looking to sell long-term assets in a bid to raise money for the current day. These constant improvisations have helped them remain somewhat competitive in the transfer market, but they have struggled in an unprecedented manner.

The most notable issue facing the club currently is their inability to register players like Dani Olmo, despite only just signing the playmaker last summer. He had been registered on a temporary basis at the start of the season, but the club have, so far, been unable to sort the situation out due to their finances.

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Barcelona legend refuses to compare club talent with Lionel Messi

Barcelona legend David Villa has refused to compare club talent Lamine Yamal with Lionel Messi. The former striker has also insisted that it is wrong to make such comparisons.

Thanks to brilliant performances from Yamal, similarities between the winger and Lionel Messi have been raised. The 17-year-old won Euro 2024 with Spain as an active participant, and he has been a core part of Barcelona's attack since last season.

However, Villa does not think comparisons to Messi are necessary, telling AS in an interview (via Tribal Football):

"I think it's difficult to compare any player to Messi today. Lamine Yamal is already a world star. He's achieved important things in two years and, as a Barca fan, he excites me again.

"And the fans also have the right to dream with him, but I don't think it's necessary to compare him to Messi, because he will have a fantastic career."

Lionel Messi has long left Barcelona, but he remains the greatest player to have ever played for the club, scoring 672 goals and creating 303 assists in 778 games.