It seemed as if he had been playing with us all his life.
—Barcelona's then assistant coach Henk Ten Cate on Messi's first-team debu
In my entire life I have never seen a player of such quality and personality at such a young age, particularly wearing the 'heavy' shirt of one of the world's great clubs.
—Fabio Capello praises the 18-year-old Messi following the Joan Gamper trophy in August 2005.
Messi is the best player in the world by some distance. He's like a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make.
—Arsène Wenger commends Messi for his four-goal display against Arsenal in April 2010.
I feel sorry for those who want to compete for Messi's throne – it's impossible, this kid is unique.
—Pep Guardiola after Messi became Barcelona's all-time top scorer at age 24 in March 2012
Messi is an alien that dedicates himself to playing with humans.
—Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon ahead of their meeting in the Champions League final in June 2015
Leo Messi is the best player in the world. Technically perfect, he brings together unselfishness, pace, composure and goals to make him number one. Messi's footballing career started in 1995 at Newell's Old Boys, where he played until the year 2000. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Barcelona and joined the Under 14s. Messi made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, climbing through the ranks to Barça C, followed by Barça B and the first team in record time. The Argentina International has made 644 Barcelona appearances, scored 560 goals and made 238 assists. How far can Leo Messi go? Following his new deal last year, Lionel Messi became one of the highest paid athletes in the world. With a contract that has a buyout clause of $850 million (€700 million), there stands very little chance for any club to afford the price tag put on the Argentine legend. A contract that will get him through the 2020-2021 season, this could be the last ever signing for the Barcelona maestro, as he will be 34 by the time his deal expires. The 5 time Ballon d'Or winner, given his age and his acceptance for new challenges, could find him somewhere else after 2021. Though it is way too early to say, here are 3 reasons why this is the very last contract that Messi has signed for the Spanish giants.