Clemente: Barcelona must lessen Messi workload to save career | OneFootball

Former Spain coach Javier Clemente says Barcelona need to lessen the workload for Lionel Messi.

If he is convinced about signing a new contract, Clemente insists Messi cannot be asked to play as many games as he currently does every season.

He told Sport: "It's not because of his age. He has four good years of football left. What I think is that he shouldn't play everything. You have to convince him and tell him to stop playing 70 games a year.

"I'm Barça and I would give him the Pichichi, Bota Gold and whatever every year. It's impossible for him to play so much, you screw him up. He's the best in the world, he does things that only he can do.

"I think he gets along very well with (president Joan) Laporta, who is a fantastic guy, very open, very pro Barça player. The impression from outside is that he will continue. I'm not an economist, but I think that Barça has carte blanche with the bank."