Lionel Messi expressed his desire to return to Spotify Camp Nou for a farewell he “never received” during his time as a player for Barcelona, after visiting the newly renovated stadium for the first time on Sunday.
Back in Spain before joining Argentina, Messi shared photos on social media less than a day after leading Inter Miami to the next round of the MLS playoffs.
“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss deeply,” he wrote alongside the pictures on Monday.
“It’s a place where I experienced immense joy, where you made me feel like the happiest person in the world time and again.”
“I hope that one day I can return—not just to say goodbye as a player, which I never had the chance to do…”
At 38, Messi spent the majority of his career at Barça before making a swift exit to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 due to the club’s financial struggles.
Consequently, and partly due to Covid restrictions at the time, the club’s all-time leading appearance maker and goal scorer was unable to have a proper farewell.
Club president Joan Laporta has since expressed his wish to host a tribute match for Messi, suggesting it would be an ideal event to mark the reopening of the newly renovated Camp Nou, which has been under construction since 2023.
“It would be a fantastic way to inaugurate the stadium [once it’s fully completed], with 105,000 fans honoring Leo,” Laporta mentioned to reporters following an open training event that drew 23,000 fans at Camp Nou last week.
“That, of course, depends on what [Messi’s camp] wants. There are also presidential elections before that, but if I am still president, I would love to see it.”
While Messi’s relationship with Laporta had cooled after his departure, he has not commented on the possibility of returning for such a match. The renovation of Camp Nou is ongoing.
Currently, Barça has a permit to host games with 25,991 fans, but they aim to secure an approval to increase that capacity to 45,401 later this month, marking their return to the venue after over two years at the city’s Olympic Stadium.
However, completion of the top tier and installation of the roof are still pending. Once renovations are finished, expected by 2027, the stadium’s capacity will increase to 105,000.
Messi returned to Europe after scoring twice on Saturday, leading third-seeded Inter Miami to a playoff victory over sixth-seeded Nashville SC in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
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He also contributed to two assists as Inter Miami set up a semifinal match against FC Cincinnati.
Currently, he is in Spain preparing to join the Argentina national team in Alicante for a friendly against Angola as they gear up for next summer’s World Cup.
During his 17-year tenure with Barça’s first team, Messi netted 672 goals in 778 appearances, accumulating 34 trophies, including 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions League titles.