Barcelona president says the Argentine deserves “the most beautiful tribute in the world” from the club
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has ruled out the prospect of Lionel Messi returning to the club as a player, despite the Argentine’s surprise visit to the redeveloped Spotify Camp Nou last weekend.
Messi made an unannounced stop at the stadium on Sunday alongside close friend and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
It was the first time he had set foot inside Camp Nou since his abrupt departure in 2021, when the club’s financial problems forced him to leave for Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi shared photos of his visit on social media and they quickly went viral. He said he hoped to return and say the goodbye he never got to say as a player, which led to speculation of a possible reunion with his former club. The Argentine also added this week that he would love to return to the city of Barcelona and live there.
Laporta said: “His departure wasn’t as we wanted, but out of the utmost respect for Messi and everyone at the club, for me to feed speculation that is not realistic is not appropriate.”
The club president confirmed he was unaware of Messi’s visit before it happened.
“I didn’t know he was coming, but Camp Nou is his home,” said Laporta. “They told me what happened. It was a nice gesture. He had just finished dinner and felt like coming with some friends. It was a spontaneous act in the spirit of Barcelona.”
While a playing return appears off the table, Laporta confirmed that the club hopes to organise a formal farewell for Messi once the renovation of Camp Nou is complete. The refurbished stadium is set to hold around 105,000 spectators when it reopens in 2026.
“It’s only fair that Leo should have the most beautiful tribute in the world,” Laporta said. “When the stadium is finished, we’ll make sure he has that.”
