Messi repeats desire to remain at Barcelona

FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi may be out of action for the rest of the season as the result of a torn hamstring but his 46 goals this campaign were vital in Barca claiming their fourth La Liga title in five years.

The Argentinean striker gave his feelings on what has been a difficult campaign for Barca, who are currently 10 points ahead of Real Madrid with a game in hand, but who had to suffer the loss of coach Tito Vilanova for almost three months as he underwent cancer treatment in New York, reports Xinhua.

"I was very happy to win the league. It is a very important league against the rivals we have had, such as Real Madrid, who are one of the best teams in the world," said Messi.

"The truth is that it wasn't easy when Tito went we noticed the change. It was not because (Barca assistant Jordi) Roura or the people who stayed were not able to do the job but because we were lacking our first team coach, the person we had spoken to since the first day," he explained.

"A year is a long time and it's great to be able to celebrate as we have done," said the striker, who once again insisted his plan to remain at the club.

"All I am thinking about is staying at Barcelona until the end. I have said that I would like to play in Argentina at the end of my career but I will not play in another team in Spain. A lot of the time people say Barcelona is 'more than a club' and it is for this: when someone comes here, they don't just make them grow as footballers but as humans as well. I think that is even more important. I came here when I was just 13, I grew up and my life has gone on beyond Argentina. I grew up learning the values that Barca transmits," Messi added.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season for Barca was their 0-7 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League. Messi prefers not to give too much importance to the defeat.

"You can't win all of the time. We have played the same style for years and rival coaches have studied it. We can't lose our heads, for what happened this year and we can't change Barca's style that has always typified the club. We have to remain calm and think about next year," he said.