Lionel Messi Reveals 'Excitement' at Future With Barcelona

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has confessed that he is feeling much happier about life at Camp Nou after a tumultuous last few months.

The Argentine pushed to leave Barcelona during the summer, citing frustration with the club's direction and management, but he later withdrew his transfer request after realising that he would have been forced to take his side to court to get his wish.

With his contract up at the end of the season, it seemed inevitable that Messi would just hold on for another year before finally walking away, but in an interview with La Sexta which is set to be broadcast on December 27, Messi admitted he is in higher spirits these days.

“I’m fine now," he said in an extract leaked by RAC1 (via Catalunya Radio). "It’s true that in the summer I was doing very badly, because of the end of the season and for everything that happened, the burofax.

"I carried this weight with me at first but now I feel like fighting for everything. I know the club is in a difficult time, at both a team and club level, but I’m looking forward to it.”

The leaked snippet doesn't give anything away in terms of Messi's long-term future, but it seems to suggest that the 33-year-old is no longer as desperate to leave the club as he was just a few months ago.

Messi's future is expected to hinge on the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections. Barcelona will find the successor to former president Josep Maria Bartomeu on January 24, 2021, and whomever takes the position will likely make a point of meeting with Messi as soon as possible.

Numerous candidates have already expressed a desire to appease Messi as soon as possible, including former chief Joan Laporta, who admitted he is prepared to do 'everything possible' to make the Argentine happy.

Messi ensured a slow start to the season by his standards but has since managed five goals in his last seven La Liga games, helping Barcelona edge their way up the league table.

Ronald Koeman's side currently sit fifth in the standings, eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid with one game extra played, but Barcelona do have a game in hand on second-placed Real Madrid, whom they trail by the same distance.

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