Lionel Messi should follow his heart and stay with Barcelona this summer in a bid to restore the Blaugrana to their former glories, according to his former Argentina team-mate Franco Di Santo.

Speculation around Messi’s future continues to swirl, with the mercurial No.10’s contract set to expire at the end of June following his public falling-out with the club’s hierarchy in the summer of 2020.

That means that Saturday’s meeting with Real Madrid at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano would be his last-ever Clasico if he does choose to leave Camp Nou behind.

Goal understands that the 33-year-old is completely ignoring the situation around his future until the end of the season as Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter continue to be linked with his signature.

And former Chelsea striker Di Santo believes that while it would be interesting to see the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in a new setting, he would rather he remained in Catalunya.

What was said?

Speaking exclusively to Goal, Di Santo says: “He deserves respect at Barcelona for all he has won in the club. It is a team game but a big part of their recent history has been about him.

“I don’t think they would have won as much without him. He is the key for everything at Barcelona. And the style of play. He deserves to be respected for what he has won in the last years.

“It would be great for whoever signs him in the Premier League or Italy. To see him in another context would be cool.

“However, I would like to see him stay in Barcelona to build his legacy.

“If I were him, I would ignore whatever people say and do what my heart says. I would do what’s best for my family and me. Maybe that’s to make Barcelona strong again.”

Is Messi still the world’s best player?

Despite a poor start to the season and the emergence of new stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, Messi’s recent form suggests he is not willing to give up his crown as the world’s best player without a fight.

With 16 goals and seven assists in 13 league games since the turn of the year, Messi has led Barca back into the Spanish title race, with Ronald Koeman’s side now just a point behind faltering leaders Atletico Madrid with nine matches still to play.

The Blaugrana have also reached the Copa del Rey final, which is scheduled for April 17 against Athletic Club.

As such, a domestic double is within Messi’s reach, and Di Santo believes that his recent form suggests he remains at the very top of the world game.

“Even just meeting Messi is amazing because he is our (Argentina’s) other idol along with (Diego) Maradona,” Di Santo adds. “I think with him they are the two best players in our history.

“We have produced so many good players but those two are the best that we have had.

“I think Messi is one of the best players, if not the best, right now. We are always happy to have him in our team. It will be really difficult to see another player like him in the future.”

Further reading

The Padres finally have their no-hitter.

They recorded the first one in franchise history on April 9, 2021, as right-hander Joe Musgrove blanked the Rangers 3-0 in Arlington, Texas . Musgrove, a native of nearby El Cajon, Calif., ended the drought after 8,206 games. The franchise debuted in 1969 as a National League expansion club.

Musgrove was a hit batsman away from vying for a perfect game. He nicked Joey Gallo with a pitch in the fourth inning. He walked none and struck out 10 in his first career complete game.  

MORE: 10 single-season MLB feats we’ll never see again

There have been more than 215,000 games in MLB history but there have been just over 300 no-hitters thrown, meaning the members of the no-hit club are among some pretty elite company.

No-hitters come in all shapes and sizes, with no two no-nos looking the same. Below you can see every team’s most recent no-hitter, every perfect game and more.

No-hitter vs. perfect game

A perfect game only occurs when the pitcher doesn’t allow a single baserunner in the game, as in 27 batters up and 27 batters down. In a no-hitter baserunners are allowed, by walk, hit by pitch, error and so forth. Every perfect game is a no-hitter, but not every no-hitter is a perfect game.

Postseason no-hitters

In baseball history, there have only been two no-hitters thrown in the postseason.

The first was Don Larsen’s perfect game for the Yankees against the Dodgers on Oct. 8, 1956, in Game 5 of the World Series.

The late, great Hall of Famer Roy Halladay joined Larsen as the second man to throw a no-hitter in the postseason when he no-hit the Cincinnati Reds for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 NLDS. 

Most recent no-hitters

Bold lettering denotes a perfect game.

List of perfect games

Since 1903 — the World Series era — there have been 21 perfect games. There have been 23 perfectos total when factoring in pre-modern era play.

Don Larsen’s perfect game remains the only perfect game in postseason history. 

No-hitters by team

Italic lettering indicates defunct/moved franchises.

Joe Musgrove ended one of baseball’s most famous droughts Friday night as he hurled the first no-hitter in Padres franchise history.

The right-hander blanked the Rangers 3-0 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Musgrove faced just one batter over the minimum (he hit Joey Gallo with a pitch in the fourth inning) and leaned on a sharp breaking ball to rack up 10 strikeouts. 

MORE: Teams’ most recent no-hitters

“The slider was the pitch that I felt I could put wherever I wanted today,” he said in a postgame interview with Bally Sports San Diego. 

It appeared for a second late in the game that the drought might continue. Rangers catcher Jose Trevino lined sharply to right field with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Padres right fielder Wil Myers raced in and snagged the drive to end the frame.

Musgrove completed the historic no-no three outs later with his 112th pitch of the night. He got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to ground out to shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. It was the first complete game in Musgrove’s career.

San Diego began play as a National League expansion club in 1969. The no-hitter came in the franchise’s 8,206th game. The Padres became the lone big league team without a no-hitter when the Mets ended their drought in 2012 courtesy of Johan Santana. 

Musgrove, a native of nearby El Cajon, Calif., was making just his second start for the Padres after being acquired by the club in an offseason trade with the Pirates.

He said in the postgame interview that it was his first no-hitter ever.

“It’s awesome to be able to have it be in a Padres uniform, and for it to be the first one for the franchise, I thought that’s incredible,” he said.

This article will be updated.