Pablo Zabaleta: 'Lionel Messi asks me about Manchester City'

Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has revealed that Barcelona forward Lionel Messi often asks him about the Premier League club.

The duo have known each for a number of years and play together for the Argentina national team.

"I remember when we were in Barcelona, we were very close friends," The Mirror quotes the full-back as saying. "We had known each other for a number of years - I was just starting out at Espanyol and Lionel was at Barca.

"When I signed for City, I think two days later the news broke that Sheikh Mansour had bought the club and Lionel always recalls that I joined at such a fantastic time.

"He asked me a lot about City, but I couldn't tell him much because I didn't know much myself. It's something we often talk about, plus the fact that I'm still here."

Zabaleta joined City from Espanyol in 2008.