Champions League

Ronald Koeman urges Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 11 March 2021

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman believes that Lionel Messi "cannot have doubts" about the future of the club despite their last-16 Champions League exit.

Ronald Koeman has urged Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona despite their dampening Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain.

A 1-1 draw with Mauricio Pochettino's side on Wednesday evening saw the Catalan giants bow out of Europe's elite competition after they were thrashed 4-1 at Camp Nou in the first leg, and speculation over Messi's future continues to gather pace.

The Argentine will soon enter the final three months of his deal with the Blaugrana, but even though the club failed to make the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years on Wednesday, Koeman has insisted that Messi "cannot have doubts" about the future of Barcelona.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference after Wednesday's game, Koeman said: "Messi must decide his own future, nobody can help him with this. He's seen for a long time now that the team is going in the right direction.

"And with the changes we've made and the youngsters who are only going to improve, he can't have doubts about the future of this team. Everyone can be proud, including our president. We've shown our face and from the first to the last second we saw a team that wanted to win this tie."

Manchester City and PSG continue to be linked with a move for Messi, who scored a thunderous long-range effort before missing a penalty against the French champions in midweek.