Messi plans to stay at Barca for life

Lionel Messi wants to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career, the Argentina forward said on Thursday.

‘I have said many times that if it were up to me I would stay my whole life at Barca,’ he said at a book presentation in the Catalan capital.

‘There are some things money cannot buy such as happiness and how good I feel here,’ added the 21-year-old while replying to a question about whether he would consider signing for arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Messi, who joined Barca when he was 13, has been in sparkling form this season.

He has scored 18 goals in 24 league matches and netted six times in the Champions League and five times in the King's Cup.

Messi was second behind Manchester United and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in January.