Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona in the future

Lionel Messi has revealed that he wants to return to Barcelona when he retires from professional football.

The Argentina international spectacularly left Camp Nou on a free transfer over the summer, with the Catalan outfit's financial problems meaning that they could not sign him to a new contract.

Messi penned a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain in August, and it is unclear whether the 34-year-old will be looking to move elsewhere once his contract in France has expired.

However, the attacker is already looking to the future and has said that he would be interested in returning to Barcelona as a technical secretary.

"Yes, I always said that I would like to come back to help the club in whatever way," Messi told Sport. "I want to be useful and help so that the club is doing well. I would love to be a technical secretary, but I don't know if it will be at Barcelona.

"I would like to return to the club to contribute what I can because I love [Barcelona] and I would love them to keep doing well, to continue growing and to continue to be among the best in the world."

Messi scored 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona's first team, winning 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies during a glittering career at Camp Nou.