Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane does not want to see Lionel Messi leave Barcelona at the end of the season.
Zidane was speaking ahead of Saturday night's Clasico fixture, that many have speculated will be Messi's last.
"I don't want it to be Messi's last Clasico," Zidane said.
"Let him stay, let him stay at Barcelona. He's good there and it's good for La Liga if he stays."
Messi has scored a record 26 times in the famous fixture, starting when he netted his first hat trick for Barcelona at the age of 19 in a 3-3 draw with Real in 2007.
Curiously though, the Argentine has failed to score in six consecutive matches against Real Madrid.
"We know what a player Messi is. He may not be scoring goals, but we know what a player he is," Zidane said.
"We are going to play against Barcelona. It's true that we know what a player he is, but they are all very good. We're going to try to stop their strengths, because there have a lot."
Saturday's fixture is a crucial clash at the top of La Liga as Barcelona sit just one point behind Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, while Real are only three points behind their cross-city rivals.
"Atletico are the ones with the advantage and we are all going to have to play for the title until the end. I've been saying that for a long time," Zidane added.
"It's a very competitive and very good league. We won't know who the champion is until the end. There are a lot of points still to be played for."
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