Argentine president urges Messi to return home

Argentine president Alberto Fernandez had told Lionel Messi to head home and play for Newell’s Old Boys amid huge speculation about the Barcelona captain’s future.

The Argentine president sent a message to the 33-year-old footballer, calling on him to return and end his career with Newell’s Old Boys. Even at his age, many feel that Messi can still compete at a high level and Argentinians are dreaming of a possible homecoming.

Fans of the Argentine club took the streets recently, holding a parade that could hopefully convince Messi to come home. However, it may take more than that although there is reason to believe it can come to fruition, BBC reported.

Newell has a track record of pulling the impossible. Proof of that is their shock signing of Diego Maradona.

“Maradona was at Sevilla in Spain – he was only 33, so he was the same age as Messi – and he came back and signed for Newell’s, which was unbelievable at the time. This was the year before the ’94 World Cup,” Jamie Ralph, the head of the club’s English-speaking supporters’ club said.

With some push coming from the Argentine president, something could happen. However, there are loose ends that need to be addressed, particularly the hefty asking fee of Barcelona.

“You are in our hearts and we have never seen you play in our country,” Fernandez said to C5N via Goal. “Give us the pleasure of ending your career with Newell’s Old Boys, your club.”

In a previous post, it appeared Messi was bent on leaving Barcelona. Things just went in disarray for the Catalan giants with the club now undergoing a major overhaul under new manager Ronald Koeman.

And as mentioned in a previous post, Messi wants to part with no ill-feelings between him and Barca. He plans to meet with the Barca board to make a peaceful exit.

There are several teams open to taking in Messi. The list includes Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Juventus._Agencies