Cesc Fabregas has made an emotional plea to his former teammate Lionel Messi to return to Barcelona.
The Argentine superstar has struggled to find his best form at Paris Saint-Germain since his high-profile summer transfer from Barca last summer. Messi was unable to prevent PSG’s Champions League Round of 16 exit against Real Madrid – when he saw his first leg penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois. The following Ligue 1 match after that, when PSG clashed with Bordeaux, saw both Messi and his teammate Neymar booed by PSG fans.
Barca president Joan Laporta has dropped the legendary football's name in conversation several times while Messi has failed to live up to his billing in the French capital, scoring 11 goals in 34 appearances last season. Recent reports have indicated that Messi is unhappy in Paris as he has failed to settle in the city and at the club for multiple reasons, with the potential of cutting short his two-year contract at the club. He managed 38 goals during his final term at the Camp Nou.
It has been claimed that Messi has 'demanded some calm' from Laporta due to the 'tone of his statements'. The 34-year-old is believed to be annoyed by the president's references to his PSG deal, which is worth a whopping £25million per year.
There have even been suggestions that the primary reason Messi does not wish to re-join Barca is because of Laporta. It is said that the player’s relationship with the president has broken down. Although that has not stopped many of the club’s fans – including Fabregas – maintaining hope.
The 34-year-old is both the record appearance holder and record goalscorer for Barca, where he spent a sensational 16 years as the main player. That includes Fabregas’s stint in the first-team squad of the Blaugrana, when he was a mainstay of the midfield between 2011 and 2014.
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Fabregas has now said of a possible return for Messi to the club: "As a Barcelona fan, I hope and I wish that Messi returns to Barcelona. He has one year left of his contract in Paris. I would love it if he returned. It is a dream that the club and all the fans have, but I speak to you as a fan of Barcelona."
Messi recently said of the exit from the Camp Nou a year ago, on Argentine outlet TyC Sports: “It was really difficult to understand what happened, I wasn’t expecting to leave Barcelona - it was a shock”.
The Argentine added: "I had everything in Barcelona. I left when I was very young. What's more: I lived more in Barcelona than in Argentina. The truth is that I had no plans to change anything. Luckily, the children's adaptation was spectacular. For Antonella and me it was more difficult." For his part, Fabregas has become part-owner of Serie B club Como after signing a two-year playing deal, the club's chief executive Dennis Wise has confirmed.
