Leo Messi continues shining with Argentina. At 37 years old, the Argentine star has not ceased to amaze the world of soccer. Last Tuesday, against Bolivia, he put in a memorable performance with a hat-trick and two assists.
His teammates like Agüero and Di María have already said farewell to the "Albiceleste". Despite this, Messi continues enjoying every time he puts on his country's jersey. "I get excited when people shout my name. We love being here and playing in Argentina," he declared after the match.
Leo Messi shines with Argentina | Seleccion argentina
Leo Messi points out Argentina's greatest promise
But beyond his brilliant performance, Messi took advantage of the match to highlight a young talent: Nico Paz. The former Real Madrid player, now at Como in Italy, earned the praise of the '10'.
The star didn't hesitate to speak highly of him: "He is a great boy, with a terrific mind and I hope he doesn't stop growing and continues with us. He will feel comfortable." Nico Paz, trained by Cesc Fàbregas and a close friend of Leo, has shown great progress in Italian soccer in just a few days. Now the boy is doing the same with the Argentine national team.
The former Barça player, who has always had a good eye for identifying talent, sees Nico Paz as an ideal player for Barcelona. The Argentine star dreams of seeing him wear the blaugrana jersey under Joan Laporta, fitting perfectly into the Catalan team's style of play. Paz is young, talented and has a promising future ahead of him, qualities that would make him an ideal transfer for Barça, according to the number 10.
Nico Paz, homeless player | Transfermarkt
Florentino Pérez is ahead of Leo Messi's wishes
However, there's a problem. Real Madrid, the club where Nico Paz was trained, hasn't lost sight of his development. Not only does it have him on its radar, but it also has a buy-back clause adjusted to the market value that it can exercise over the next three years.
In certain circles close to the club, it is almost taken for granted that Nico Paz's return to Santiago Bernabéu is a matter of time. The opportunity to recover a talent trained at Valdebebas is an option that Florentino Pérez will not let slip away.
While Messi dreams of seeing Nico Paz at the Camp Nou, the youngster's future seems closer to Madrid than Barça. The white club knows that these kinds of opportunities don't come along every day, and the repurchase of Paz would be a strategic move to secure talent in the long term.
It's a shame for Barça, but it is what it is. Florentino wins and Nico Paz will soon be wearing the Real Madrid jersey again.
