Lionel Messi Expresses Desire for Farewell Tribute at Camp Nou

Lionel Messi expressed his hope to return to Spotify Camp Nou for the farewell he never received as a player at Barcelona, following his first visit to the renovated stadium on Sunday.

Back in Spain ahead of joining the Argentina national team, Messi shared photographs on social media from Camp Nou, just over a day after leading Inter Miami to the next round of the MLS playoffs.

“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart,” he wrote alongside the images on Monday.

“It’s a place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel like the happiest person in the world a thousand times over. I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do…”

At 38, Messi spent the majority of his career at Barcelona before leaving abruptly for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 due to the financial difficulties faced by the Catalan club. Consequently, he was unable to bid a proper farewell, especially with Covid-19 restrictions in place at that time.

Club president Joan Laporta has since expressed a desire to organize a tribute match for Messi, suggesting it would be a fitting way to inaugurate the newly renovated Camp Nou, which has been under redevelopment since 2023.

“It would be a great way to open the stadium when it’s completely finished, with 105,000 fans in attendance paying tribute to Leo,” Laporta reiterated to reporters following an open training session attended by 23,000 fans at Camp Nou last week.

“Of course, this depends on what Messi’s camp desires. There are also presidential elections before then, but if I remain president, I would love to see it happen.”

Messi’s relationship with Laporta has cooled since his departure, and he has not previously commented on the possibility of returning for such an event. Work on Camp Nou is still ongoing, with the club currently licensed to host matches for 25,991 fans, but aiming to secure a permit to increase that capacity to 45,401 later this month.

The completion of the third tier and roof is still pending, with the refurbishment expected to be finalized by 2027, ultimately raising the stadium’s capacity to 105,000.

Messi returned to Europe over the weekend after scoring twice in a decisive Game 3 that led third-seeded Inter Miami to victory over sixth-seeded Nashville SC in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

As he prepares to join the Argentina national team in Alicante for a friendly against Angola ahead of the upcoming World Cup, Messi looks back on his remarkable career at Barcelona, where he scored 672 goals in 778 appearances and won 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League titles.