Barcelona president Joan Laporta is reportedly keen on inviting Lionel Messi for the official reopening of Camp Nou. The Argentine visited the stadium on Sunday, November 9, hours after Inter Miami's MLS Cup win over Nashville SC.
Messi to make a return at Barcelona?
As per a report in Mundo Deportivo, Laporta hopes to have Messi back at the Stadium for the reopening. Barcelona want to conduct their game against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, November 22, at Camp Nou, but are yet to get the permit.
They currently have the permit to host matches with 23,000, but the club are hoping to see the numbers go up to 45,000. They are still finishing the renovation of the stadium, which is to host over 100000 fans.
Laporta interacted with the media earlier this season about inviting Messi back to Camp Nou and said:
“Of course I’d love that. It would be a beautiful way to show gratitude and recognition. When we reach 100,000 capacity, we’ll be able to hold the tribute he, the club, and everything we achieved together deserve. But it probably won’t happen before the end of 2026, since that’s when club elections will take place. I don’t know if I’ll still be president then, but if I am, I’d be very happy to lead Messi’s tribute at the stadium.”
Messi surprised the fans on Monday, November 10, by posting about his visit to Camp Nou. He took to Instagram and shared:
"Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul. A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world. I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to."
Lionel Messi's exceptional stats for Barcelona
The Argentine icon led the side to a club record 35 titles, while scoring 673 goals and 303 assists in 778 matches across all competitions. In August 2021, Messi was forced to leave the Catalan club after they failed to renew his contract because of financial issues.
When Lionel Messi wanted to return to Barcelona in 2023
In an interview with Argentine journalist Quique Wolff, Lionel Messi revealed that he wanted to make a comeback to Barcelona after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) came to an end in 2023. He spent two seasons at the French club, but wanted to leave after his contract expired. He said:
“I had the intention of returning to Barcelona and being able to go back to a place I always wanted to be, but it was not possible again. After that, it became a family decision. The fact that we won the World Cup also had a big impact. I was clear that I didn’t want to be at another team in Europe, I didn’t want to go to any of them.”
After his return to the Spanish side, Messi opted to sign for MLS side Inter Miami, where he currently plays. Since then, La Pulga has often expressed his wish to return to the club in one way or another as he never had the chance to say goodbye to the fans.