The four-time Ballon d'Or winner recently hinted at a
move away from Camp Nou but the Blaugrana sporting director says that
the 27-year-old is content in Catalunya
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner caused panic at Camp Nou last month when he revealed during the international break that while he would like to stay in Catalunya, he could end up leaving.
Messi has since being linked with a number of clubs, including Manchester City and Chelsea, but Zubizarreta is confident the 27-year-old will remain at Barcelona.
"My interpretation is that Leo is content, not because of a permanent smile or happiness, but because he is in a place where he can compete at the level he needs," the Blaugrana sporting director told Jot Down Magazine.
"He is in a situation that allows him to be what he is. And if Messi is happy, the rest is easy."
However, Barca have encountered numerous off-field issues over the past year, chief among them the transfer ban they received for breaches of Fifa regulations relating to the movement of players under the age of 18.
Zubizarreta has reiterated that the club had no idea that they were breaking the rules but conceded that mistakes were made.
"At first we tried to understand what it was that had happened because we had followed absolutely accepted procedures," he explained.
"Then, as the president [Josep Maria Bartomeu] said, we understood that there had been a number of incorrect administrative actions and we are now working to convey to Fifa that we never intended to violate the rules.
"But, if we could go back to 2010, when I took office, we would not do some of the things we did."
Zubizarreta also admitted that he could perhaps have handled Eric Abidal's departure better.
The France international was forced to undergo a kidney transplant in 2012 but returned to action in April of the following year.
Despite his remarkable recovery, Abidal was not offered a new contract at Camp Nou and consequently left in the summer of 2013 to join Monaco.
Zubizarreta freely admits that the defender's situation was a difficult one to handle given his past health problems but he insists that there is no bad blood between the pair.
"Evaluating Abi's situation was very complex," he explained. "One could not isolate oneself from what he had been through for two years.
"In his case, perhaps it would have been easier and a more popular decision to let him continue.
"But when I met Abi, we hugged - and that's what really matters."
Zubizarreta's position has come under scrutiny of late and he conceded that his future at Barcelona is far from clear.
"I have a contract until 2016 but, in football, you have to plan in the medium- and long-term knowing that everything can change in a moment," he pointed out.
"I do not foresee myself being sporting director for many years. Maybe I could end up with another team.
"You discover that there are things you can do but that you're not Superman."
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