Newell's confident over Messi return

Lionel Messi, 29, was at the club as a boy before moving to Barca's famed La Masia academy and developing into arguably the best player ever.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi in action.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi could return to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys after the 2018 World Cup, according to the Argentine side's vice-president Cristian D'Amico.

Messi, 29, was at the club as a boy before moving to Barca's famed La Masia academy and developing into arguably the best player ever. Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer has long been linked with a return to Newell's before his retirement.

Now, D'Amico has again opened up on the possibility of a Messi return and believes it will happen.

"I am convinced, like many of my peers, that we can make history as a club if we get the best player in the world in a Newell's shirt," he said. "I think we're going to get the pleasure of Messi wearing the shirt."

D'Amico knows how big an impact Messi would have if he came back to the Rosario-based club.

"Imagine a game with Messi in the Coloso [Estadio Marcelo Bielsa], with the press around the world," he said. "The sponsors who would come... that would make a difference economically, apart from the sentimental value, and could make a big difference to clean up the debts."