Lionel Messi: 'I don't know where I will be next 

Lionel Messi proved reluctant to commit his long-term future to Barcelona during a press conference on Monday, saying “I’m not sure where I will be next year”.

 

Messi’s future at Barcelona has been the subject of fevered speculation following reports of a crisis at Barca and a falling out with coach Luis Enrique.

Messi rejected speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea or Manchester City in forthright terms in an interview with Barcelona’s TV channel on Sunday.

But speaking a day later, during a press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala on Monday evening, he was rather less determined to commit his future to the club.

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“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, whether I’ll go back to Newell’s,” he said in response to a question about whether he might return to Argentina at some point in his career.

“I’m not sure where I will be next year. In the football world so many things can change overnight.

“I’ve always said I will end my career at Barcelona, but as Cristiano [Ronaldo] says only God knows the future.”

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OUR VIEW

You could interpret this as a stock answer given in a very bland press conference but it is not a huge leap to imagine that Messi knows exactly how such words will be interpreted. Without anything too dramatic, he has applied a bit of gentle pressure to Barcelona and encouraged the transfer speculation to increase. Certainly he struck a very different tone to that employed on Barca's club channels.