Lionel Messi's birthday: Fans flood social media to wish football legend on 34th birthday

Lionel Messi's birthday has sparked celebrations on June 24 as the Argentine Magician turns 34 years old. Often touted as one of the best footballers in the world to have ever played the game football, fans across the globe took to social media in order to celebrate Lionel Messi's birthday on Thursday. 

The Barcelona skipper is one of the most recognised sporting personalities across the world and is considered to be popular throughout the globe. He is currently away on national duty playing for Argentina in the ongoing Copa America campaign. The 34-year-old seems determined to win a major title with his country and has been one of the brightest stars on the pitch in the ongoing tournament. He scored a fantastic free kick on the tournament opener against Chile and also provided an assist in their second league match against Uraguay. 

Lionel Messi contract update

The 34-year-old was expected to leave the club last season with the Blaugrana captain handing in a sensational transfer request following the end of the 2019-20 campaign. Since then, Messi had decided to remain faithful to FC Barcelona and stay at the club where he has spent his entire career. 

His current contract is set to expire on June 30 but various reports have claimed that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is close to reaching a deal with the LaLiga side. Newly elected president Joan Laporta is said to have played a big role in the new Messi contract which could be made public this week.

FC Barcelona's acquisition of Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia have played a crucial role in the FC Barcelona captain understanding the club's need of remaining competitive and battle for the highest honours once again after a few poor seasons. The new summer signings have been some of the smartest moves made by FC Barcelona with the Catalan side signing star players as free agents especially after considering the tremendous debt. The debt has also had a massive impact on FC Barcelona's ability to spend money in the transfer market.

The poor financial conditions have affected FC Barcelona so heavily that despite extending Messi's contract only until 2023, the LaLiga outfit is set to pay him his dues over a five-year period. Club president Joan Laporta has himself claimed to enter into negotiations with the Blaugrana skipper before finalising the deal with the contract also having an option of an additional year extending Messi's stay till 2024.

Image Source: Messi/Instagram