Brazilian star Dani Alves has urged seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi to rejoin Barcelona from French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Alves, who himself made a return to Camp Nou after a five-and-a-half year exile, has appealed to the club's management to hand Messi a "great gift" in the form of a comeback to Catalonia.
"Messi is the best player in the history of football. It's strange to be here and not see him, to not have him in the squad. Sometimes things don't happen as we dream. I already told him that he is not going to be in any better place than here," Alves told Catalunya Radio.
"He told me the same when I left. It would be very good if Messi finishes his career here. Finishing it here would be a great gift for him, and the club could take care of it," he added.
Messi was the lynchpin of Barcelona's all-conquering squad from 2004 to 2021.
The Argentina skipper scored a record 672 goals in 778 games to lead the club to an unprecedented 35 trophies during his tenure.