Lionel Messi is undeniably one of the greatest legends in the history of FC Barcelona. Despite his strained relationship with the club’s hierarchy in recent years, it is evident that his love for the Blaugrana remains strong.

This affection was especially apparent in a heartfelt social media message he shared on the occasion of the club’s 125th anniversary a few days ago.

Along with his congratulatory message, the Argentine superstar also participated in an interview with David Caraben, who was in charge of the event. During the conversation, Messi expressed his enduring connection to Barcelona, highlighting that even his children consider themselves Catalan.

In addition to being Catalan, these children are also keen fans of FC Barcelona. As SPORT has noted, this is also quite clear from Messi’s recent social media activity, in which he posted a video of his son riding a bicycle while wearing Lamine Yamal’s shirt.

Although the two players never played together, they still have a special relationship between them. The most prominent manifestation of this relationship was the appearance of Lamine Yamal in a calendar published by SPORT and UNICEF, in which Messi can be seen holding a few months-old Yamal in his hands.

Similarly, this relationship was once again brought to the fore in the match between Barcelona and Las Palmas on Saturday, as Lamine Yamal wore boots with Lionel Messi’s name engraved on the sole. These boots were a part of an Adidas advertising campaign, in which Messi had chosen 10 players who would wear these boots with his name.

Unsurprisingly, Yamal was one of these players. With this close relationship with Messi and the special abilities that he shows almost every time he steps on the pitch, he is increasingly looking to be La Pulga’s heir at Barcelona.