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Lionel Messi agreed to sign a new contract with Barcelona club, which will be valid until the summer of 2018.
The 25-year-old star of the Argentina national team set a new record in 2012, scoring 90 goals in a calendar year.
Along with him, 34-year-old defender Carles Puyol and a couple of years younger midfielder Xavi have also signed new three-and-a-half-year contracts. All three of them have come up from the youth team to the main squad.
"This news means that Barcelona has retained its three most important players," the club said in a statement.
Messi made his debut in Barcelona's main lineup in 2004, when he was just seventeen. Puyol first wore the shirt in 1999, while Xavi did so a year earlier. The latter has already played a total of 651 matches.
