Messi finally signs new Barcelona deal until 2021

Lionel Messi's protracted contract saga is over.

Barcelona's spellbinding forward inked fresh terms until the end of the 2020-21 season on Saturday. The Argentinian's release clause is set at €700 million.

The Blaugrana announced in July that Messi was set to sign a new deal in Catalonia in "the coming weeks," but the 30-year-old didn't adhere to that deadline, prompting speculation about his future. Manchester City, overseen by Messi's old Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, was linked to dribbling wizard's signature, with reports dating back to March 2016 stating the English outfit was "confident" of snapping up Messi if he decided to leave the Camp Nou.

But now, if Messi stays for the full duration of his deal, Barcelona has its talisman's services until he nears his 34th birthday. His previous contract expired in the summer of 2018.

Messi joined Barcelona in 2000 as a 13-year-old from Newell's Old Boys, one of the leading clubs from his native Rosario. He made his competitive debut against Espanyol at the age of 17, and has gone on to represent the Spanish giant for 14 seasons.

For the club, Messi has contributed to eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, five Copa del Reys, and three Club World Cups. His total of 30 titles is tied with Andres Iniesta, 33, for the most in Barcelona's history. He's also collected a series of individual awards, including five Ballon d'Or gongs and four Golden Shoes, and often spars for those honours with Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The records he's claimed at Barcelona may go untroubled for the rest of the club's existence. He's the club's and La Liga's all-time top goalscorer, and is yet to show signs of decline after scoring 12 goals and assisting three times in the current league campaign.

Messi is still a passionate follower of Newell's Old Boys, and assertions throughout his career suggest he's considering spending the swansong of his career with his boyhood club.

"I would like to play at Newell's, play in Primera, be able to be inside of that pitch where I went to see so many games. But I don't know what will happen from here to a few years, where I'll be, how I'll be to return," he said earlier in November. "I can't say I'm going back and I'm going to play. I would love it and I always said it but I don't know what will happen. I hope it can be like that and I can play at Newell's, which is what I dreamed about since I was a kid."

For the next few years, Barcelona is blessed with the services of "the best player in the history of football," as described by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Messi will take the pitch under his new terms for the first time on Sunday, when the league leader travels to second-placed Valencia for a tantalising clash.