We must have great respect for Lionel Messi, says Chelsea coach Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte said he believed Lionel Messi will remain at Barcelona for the rest of his playing days after watching the Argentine maestro destroy Chelsea's Champions League hopes. Messi, 30, scored twice and the double took him to 100 Champions League goals while his opener, coming after 129 seconds, was the fastest goal of his illustrious career. Messi has frequently been linked with a big-money move to the Premier League but Conte is convinced the striker will retire at Barcelona. "I think Leo wants to stay until the end of his career with Barcelona," Conte said.

"We're talking about an impossible situation. I repeat: we must have great respect for this player. We are talking about a fantastic player. I think he wants to stay in Barcelona for the end of his career. I think it's the right way for him. He's writing with his teammates a great story with Barcelona."

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was also lavish in his praise for his star striker. "There's no guarantee that he's going to score, but he is a fantastic player. We enjoy him. We're lucky enough to be seeing something that will go down in history."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever