'At least compete!' - Lionel Messi sends warning to Barcelona stars of today over club standards amid Champions League & La Liga title fights

Argentine icon Messi collected plenty of silverware himself during a historic stint at Camp Nou. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner smashed countless records with the Blaugrana, with a haul of 672 goals unlikely to ever be bettered.

Messi won 10 La Liga titles with Barca, four Champions League crowns and the FIFA Club World Cup on three occasions. Those successes have contributed to him becoming the most decorated player of all-time – with a remarkable collection of honours being taken to 46 during his spell at MLS side Inter Miami.

Messi continues to keep an eye on how Barcelona are getting on, with the club forever holding a special place in his heart, and has told Mundo Deportivo of what he expects from the class of 2024-25 and those that represent the club in future campaigns: “I hope that the club can return to what it always was. As well as being a world reference, which it never stopped being, always fighting to win titles until the end of each season.

“As a Barça player, you can never settle for being second or not winning, because the members and the fans demand the most from you. Being the best club in the world entails very high demands. I would love to see Barca win La Liga, the Cup and also the Champions League again. And in the years that it can't, at least compete until the last moment.”

Barcelona are top of the Liga table at present, but are only four points clear of Clasico rivals Real Madrid – with the Blancos still holding a game in hand. Hansi Flick’s side have won four of their five games in the Champions League, with dreams of another bid for European glory beginning to form in Catalunya.