Neymar plea for Messi to extend contract a worrying sign for Barcelona

 Maybe Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady had a point after all.

With Messi’s contract set to expire in 2018, there have been murmurs around the football world that the Argentine might leave the Catalan club with the usual suspects of Chelsea, Manchester City and Bayern Munich among the possible destinations. Messi and Barcelona have been synonymous for years now, the idea of him departing is nearly unfathomable. Yet, if the last couple of years have told us anything, it’s that legends can leave. John Terry will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, probably to Bournemouth. Frank Lampard left for New York and Steven Gerrard for L.A. Galaxy. Rewind five years and the idea of them not playing for their respective clubs would be profound. Gerrard, Lampard and Terry decided on their departures because either their contract expired with no hope of renewal or were limited with first team opportunities whereas, in Messi's case, it is quite the contrary. And, with Neymar speaking to beIN Sports during the week about Messi’s contract, it certainly did nothing to reassure Barcelona fans.

 "I have been here with Leo for four years, and I am learning every day: how to strike the ball, how to be alert during matches… Messi is from another planet," the Brazilian said. "He is an idol and a friend with whom I have the luck to train every day. "I hope that he renews and that the people at Barca get to work so Leo can continue with us."

Go onto Neymar’s Instagram account and you won’t have to look too far to find a picture of him with Messi. You'd nearly think the pair are close friends. https://www.instagram.com/p/BQF8KkqgrUG/?taken-by=neymarjr https://www.instagram.com/p/BRa0QPBjf8-/?taken-by=neymarjr https://www.instagram.com/p/BSlPx8uj2pI/?taken-by=neymarjr https://www.instagram.com/p/BT6S_dhjIZb/?taken-by=neymarjr But the words of Neymar don’t do much to suggest that their friendship is all that close. By the sounds of it, he is as much in the dark as the rest of us with regards to Messi’s contract situation. There is no doubt that both men are cute and well trained when it comes to the media, keeping their cards close to their chest about contracts. Whether that extends to their friendship, only they know that - but, on face value, Messi certainly has not made up his mind about where he will play once his contract expires. On the same night that Eamon Dunphy said he believed that Messi didn’t have much ‘left in the tank’ all three pundits in the RTÉ studio were in the frame of mind that the 29-year-old could very well leave the club. Richie Sadlier opened the conversation by mentioning that Messi’s contract is soon to expire.

"Messi’s contract is up discussion in the summer because he’s only got a year left, so you’re looking at a scenario of ‘Is Messi going to commit? Is he going to go?' he said. "A Barcelona without Messi is an entirely different proposition."

Dunphy piped in saying,

"You might see Messi in the Premier League playing for Manchester City, you might. And what a thing that would be for the Premier League."

Finally, Liam Brady rounded off discussions by also buying into the belief Messi could leave the Catalan club, where he has been since he was 13.

"It could be that he needs a change and that he needs a new challenge."

And, as much criticism as the RTÉ punditry often receives, a lot of what they are saying may ring true to Lionel Messi. Spanish newspaper AS threw a spanner into the works last week, saying that the Argentine rejected a new contract with the club but also reported that a deal is likely to be struck with the player. However, as speculation mounts, the narrative is forming that Messi could ultimately shock the footballing world and decide to leave the club. After all, it is hard to see Barcelona return to the level that Messi played at for so many years. He was the star man of one of the greatest sides of all time when Guardiola was in charge and in present day, the side is certainly not shabby but you have to believe that going from a side that was long regarded as near perfect to one that was outclassed by Juventus takes its toll. Ultimately the side is not the same now as it was under Guardiola, the golden generation has passed and maybe it is time for him to take on a fresh challenge before his career fizzles out.