Samuel Eto’o is confident Lionel Messi will extend his contract at Barcelona and finish his career at the club.
The Argentine star has a clause in his current contract at the Camp Nou – which is the most lucrative in global football – which allows him to leave on a free transfer at the end of each season, should he wish to do so.
That has sparked alarm in the Catalan capital following the 32-year-old’s comments on Instagram last month, where he was heavily critical of the club’s sporting director Eric Abidal.
The former defender had claimed that a number of Barca players had to take a look at themselves for not trying hard enough, with Messi then hitting straight back and challenging the Frenchman to name names.
Messi has subsequently been linked to a number of top European clubs but his former teammate Eto’o has quelled such fears.
“He can extend his contract at Barcelona. He still has the legs to go with it,” Eto’o told Goal.com.
“I think he will finish his career at Barcelona and if he feels he can do it then he can do it.”
Eto’o spent five years at the Camp Nou between 2004 and 2009, and played alongside Messi for three of them.
