Barcelona

Gerard Pique: 'Barcelona will grieve for Lionel Messi'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 14 October 2016

Barcelona "will be naked" when Lionel Messi eventually leaves the Catalan giants, according to the club's centre-back Gerard Pique.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has claimed that the Catalan giants will be 'devastated' when Lionel Messi eventually leaves the club.

Messi joined Barcelona from Argentine club Newell's Old Boys in 2001, progressing through the Spanish outfit's youth system before making his first-team debut during the 2004-05 season.

The 29-year-old has scored 461 goals in 539 appearances for Barcelona, in addition to winning eight La Liga titles, four Copas del Rey and four Champions League crowns.

Injuries have started to take their toll on Messi in recent seasons, however, and Pique has claimed that Barcelona "will be naked" when the Argentine eventually decides to end his association with the club.

"He has been completely unique... the day he leaves will be like the day your father dies, and that will be hard," Pique told TV3. "We talk about Leo now, but one day he won't be here and we will be naked, but we will have to start again to keep being competitive."

Messi has missed the last three weeks of the season with a groin problem, but returned to training earlier this week ahead of Barcelona's La Liga clash with Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday afternoon.