'If Messi ever leaves Barca, he would join Inter'

Milan: Inter Milan's Thiago Motta believes that if Lionel Messi ever left Barcelona, he would join the San Siro outfit over any other club in the world.

The 29-year-old former Camp Nou midfielder thinks that Messi could decide to quit the Camp Nou giants at some point in the future and join the Italian side who have always admired him.

"If Messi was to leave Barcelona then the first team he would join would be Inter," Motta told Inter Channel.

Inter Milan\'s Thiago Motta believes it is possible that Lionel Messi may play in the Serie A in the future.

"He is still young, but sooner or later, the moment for him to change will come."

The Italy international played alongside Messi during his time at Camp Nou before leaving for Atletico Madrid in 2007.

Motta explained the striker's qualities off the pitch and suggested he would like to team up with the superstar once more.

"I am a good friend of Messi, he is a simple guy and very humble," added Motta.

Motta then spoke about the Blaugrana's footballing philosophy - just 24 hours after the Spanish club opened their new La Masia youth academy.

"When I arrived at Barcelona, they taught me to always pass the ball and look for the play, never to waste possession," added Motta.

"When I arrived at Camp Nou my idol was Rivaldo. Then when Louis van Gaal came I realised my position on the pitch was that of Phillip Cocu, who I played with for two or three years. I learned a lot from him."

The Brazilian-born midfielder joined Barcelona in 1999 and played for the B team before making his debut for the senior side two years later.

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