It pains me to say this but one day, Lionel Messi will decide to retire from the beautiful game. I know, heartbreaking isn’t it. We will never be able to witness the king of Barcelona strut his stuff in the Nou Camp ever again, and that alone makes us really miserable on this bleak Tuesday morning in Manchester. There has only been a handful of players that have been able to make such an impact on football like Messi.
To celebrate his time at the Catalan giants, Barcelona should retire the number 10 jersey when the little magician decides to hang up his boots, according to another Barca great, Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian, who played with the five-time Balon d’Or winner during his time with Barca, has declared that his former club should give up the number when Messi retires and you know what, we agree with great one.
“He is the best in the club’s history and has done what no one else could. I hope it stays that way for another 20 years at least. For anyone who loves football, we would like keep him at this level for many more years.”
Ronaldinho claimed that Barca should retire the number '10' shirt when Lionel Messi hangs up his boots.
“when Messi retires, which I hope will be a long time from now, they should leave the No 10 there so that nobody can touch it again.”#ForcaBarca pic.twitter.com/k5eE0HQokz
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) September 3, 2018
Ronaldinho went on the state that it is hard to declare a ‘greatest player of all time’ but Messi is ‘undoubtedly’ among the greatest.
“It is hard because there have been so many at different times. There was Pele in his time, Maradona in his.” he said.
“Zidane had his moment while Ronaldo Nazario enjoyed his. What is clear, is that Messi is undoubtedly among the greatest in history.”
The heart of the matter
The Brazilian legend called Messi the best player and hoped that he continues performing at a high level for many years to come. As a mark of respect for the Argentine’s individual brilliance, class and idiosyncratic talent, he wants no one to wear the number 10 shirt for the Spanish giants again.
Speaking to Sport, Ronaldinho commented, “He’s the best in history, no doubt. Nobody has done what Messi’s done. I hope he plays 20 more years. Those who love football would love to have him here for much longer. I think when he leaves, nobody will be able to take the No 10 of Leo.”
When asked about the comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi, the 38-year-old claimed, “For me it’s not a question over who is more complete, it’s a question of taste. I prefer Messi’s style. The other one is complete, he has it all. So does Messi, but it’s a question of taste and I prefer Messi’s style.
https://twitter.com/MessiLob/status/818211915180679169
In the same conversation, he tipped fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho to become one of the world’s best and added that he would have loved to play alongside the playmaker.
“There are a lot of players who I didn’t coincide with and I would have liked to play with them. Coutinho is one of them.”
What’s next?
Messi’s current contract runs until the summer of 2021, but the Argentine has shown no signs of slowing down yet. Meanwhile, his Barcelona side travel to Anoeta Stadium to play Real Sociedad on 15 September.