Idea was conceived in 2021 and will be carried through as the Camp Nou renovation nears completion
Barcelona are making plans to honour Lionel Messi with a statue outside the redeveloped Camp Nou. President Joan Laporta confirmed the club are now reviewing design proposals and are in touch with Messi and his family.
A partial reopening of the stadium is expected later this month. It would be the first time the team play at their traditional ground since May 2023. As the project enters its final phase, the board has resumed discussions on how to formally recognise Messi’s two decades of service.
“We are working on that,” Laporta said about the statue plans. “Of course him and his family have to agree on that. When it’s the right moment and we have the final design of this statue, we’d make the proposal. We, as Barca fans, would love the fact of having a statue to honour Lionel Messi in the new stadium, where all Barca legends lay.”
The idea has been in circulation since the club’s 2021 annual general meeting, but Barcelona paused most symbolic projects due to the stadium renovation and their well-publicised financial issues.
With construction now nearing completion, the board has revived discussions on how to properly acknowledge Messi’s legacy.
Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona and won 34 major trophies, placing him alongside figures such as Laszlo Kubala and Johan Cruyff, both of whom already have statues outside the ground. Laporta has also announced that Messi will eventually receive a formal tribute at the new Camp Nou once the full 105,000-seat venue is complete in 2026.
Earlier this week the club president said: “It’s only right that Leo receives the most beautiful tribute in the world. When the stadium is finished, we’ll have a capacity of 105,000 fans, so we’d love to have him there.
“We’re working on the tribute and on ensuring that the best football in the world can be seen, and as part of the tribute, we’d like to offer Leo the tribute he deserves.”
