Newell’s Old Boys Looking to Re-Sign Lionel Messi in 2018 (Player Specials Betting)

The Argentine’s boyhood club NOB remain hopeful of sealing a move for their former youth player and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi – Player Specials Betting with Paddy Power.

(Image credit: Barca Blaugranes)

Messi was signed on Newell’s books between 1994 and 2000, after which, at the age of the thirteen, his parents decided to take up the opportunity to move to Barcelona after the club promised to pay the costly treatment for the Argentine’s hormone deficiency.

Now, four Champions League titles and five Ballon d’Or awards later, the Rosario side is exploring possibilities of bringing the global star back to his native Argentina in the summer of 2018, when Messi’s contract is due to expire, according to Transfermarkt.

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“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,” said Cristian D’Amico, the vice-president of NOB. “I think we’re going to get the pleasure of Messi wearing the shirt.”

He further stressed that besides there being a ‘sentimental value’ of re-signing Messi, there would also undoubtedly be a significant financial benefit that could help the club pay off its debts.

“Imagine a game with Messi in the Coloso (the club’s stadium) with the press around the world. 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.”

Since breaking into the first team in 2004, Messi has made a total of 534 appearances for the Catalan giants and in the process has become their all-time leading goalscorer with 456 strikes. At only 29 years of age, he still has plenty of time to extend his goalscoring numbers for Barcelona and break many other records.

Player Specials Betting – Lionel Messi’s New Permanent Club

Messi played for Newell’s Old Boys’ youth side between 1994 and 2000
(Image credit: Soccer Superpower)

Online sportsbook Paddy Power prefers a permanent move to Premier League side Man City 2.50 (6/4) where the 29-year-old would be reunited with the man that made him into a superstar – Pep Guardiola. A move back home to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys 3.50 (5/2) seems less likely at the moment, while Bayern Munich 7.00 (6/1), Man United 10.00 (9/1), Chelsea 10.00 (9/1), Arsenal 10.00 (9/1) and PSG 11.00 (10/1) have all been dealt underdog chances of signing the diminutive forward.

Messi is the second favourite 5.50 (9/2) to win the Ballon d’Or for 2016 (Paddy Power online sportsbook) however he’s unlikely to clinch his sixth Golden Ball following Cristiano Ronaldo’s impressive exploits for club and country this year that saw him lift both the Champions League and Euro Cup titles. That’s why the Portuguese is the prime candidate 1.16 (1/6) to lift the Ballon d’Or, which would be his fourth in his illustrious career so far.

Barcelona 1.44 (4/9) will next face Athletic Bilbao 6.50 (11/2) at San Mames in round two of La Liga this Sunday (August 28). A draw between the two stands at 4.50 (7/2), but with the star-studded group of players at Luis Enrique’s disposal, they’re likely to steal an easy three points from the Basque side.

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Messi bagged a cool 41 goals across all competitions last season and 26 in La Liga alone, however he was usurped by his teammate Luis Suarez who found the back of the net on 59 occasions overall and 40 times domestically. The Uruguayan opened his 2016/17 domestic account with a hat-trick against Real Betis in front of nearly 66,000 spectators at the Camp Nou last Saturday with the Argentine netting a humble brace, as Barcelona romped the visiting side a whopping 6-2.

Currently, Suarez is the favourite 2.50 (6/4) to be the top goalscorer in the 2016/17 La Liga campaign, while Messi is right behind him on the odds chart with odds of 2.80 (9/5). Real Madrid’s leading goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo is third favourite 4.20 (16/5) for the Pichihi Trophy next season, after scoring ‘only’ 35 goals in the Spanish league last season.

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