Messi predicts Fabregas reunion

Lionel Messi expects Cesc Fabregas to rejoin him at Barcelona because the Arsenal skipper has the club "in his blood."

Speculation continues to link Barca with a bid for their former trainee this summer and world player of the year Messi believes his old friend is destined to return to Catalonia.

"Cesc has a place for Arsenal in his heart, but he has Barcelona in his blood," Messi told the Daily Express.

"He will want to win win the biggest prizes in football, and I expect him to do that at Barcelona.

"I don't exactly know when that will be, but I expect him to be my Barcelona team-mate again at some point.

"I am sure that Arsene Wenger and Cesc have a father-son relationship and I know that he has a very special relationship with the Arsenal fans.

"When you grow up at a club, it is more than just a club. The coaches, the players, the people in the club will be like family.

"But Barcelona is his city and it is the club of him and his family. There are only a few players in the world who can improve this squad we have but Cesc is one of them."

Messi poured water on English hopes of him one day playing on these shores, however.

"Will I play in the Premier League one day? I have said that I want to be at Barcelona for life," he said.

"I will be here for as long as they want me. I owe Barcelona more than for giving me a chance - I owe them for changing my life."

Messi also wants to make history and he feels the current Barca side is well placed to do that.

"When you win everything, though, the only thing that can match it is winning everything again. That is the aim of this football club," he said.

"I have already said this team can go down in the history books. What we did last year was special, but to go down as the best ever we need to keep doing it and I believe we can.

"I don't believe we will be remembered for just what we won, but how we won it. I hope people enjoy watching us and I hope people in 50 years will talk about how this football team played the game.

"This Barcelona team have a chance to go down in not just recent history, but in football history.

"We are all friends. We all enjoy playing for the manager and we stay humble enough to realise how lucky we are to be playing for this club."

With every club honour already won, many are suggesting that Messi will be known as the greatest player ever - if he can lead Argentina to World Cup glory, and he will have that chance in South Africa this summer.

And the Barca star is confident his country can compete and could win the finals.

"Spain have amazing players, they are the champions of Europe and they will do well," he said.

"And I think it will be the same five or six teams as usual who will be the big threat.

"I really do believe that Argentina have amazing players, and I believe we can do it.

"Just as in any major international tournament you always need a little bit of luck to win it and we need to show we have a big heart."