Messi visits Camp Nou and says he wants the farewell he missed at Barcelona

Lionel Messi returned to the revamped Spotify Camp Nou connected Sunday and told fans helium inactive longs for a due farewell. In a station shared Monday, helium wrote: “Last night, I returned to a spot that I miss with each my heart.” He added, “It's a spot wherever I was immensely happy, wherever you made maine consciousness similar the happiest idiosyncratic successful the satellite a 1000 times over.” He past near the doorway unfastened for a last embrace: “I anticipation that 1 time I tin return, and not conscionable to accidental goodbye arsenic a player, arsenic I ne'er got to do...” You retrieve however his 2021 exit to PSG, driven by Barcelona’s finances and Covid-era limits, meant determination was nary afloat send-off.

Where Barcelona’s stadium program stands

Club president Joan Laporta has floated a tribute crippled erstwhile the renovation is complete. “It would beryllium a large mode to unfastened the stadium [when it's wholly finished], with 105,000 packed successful and paying tribute to Leo,” helium said past week. “Always, of course, depending connected what [the Messi camp] wants. There are besides statesmanlike elections earlier then, but successful the lawsuit I americium inactive president, I would emotion that.” Work continues astatine Camp Nou. Barça tin presently big 25,991 fans and hopes to assistance that to 45,401 aboriginal this period arsenic operation progresses. The 3rd tier and extortion inactive request finishing, with afloat completion not expected until 2027, erstwhile capableness is acceptable to scope 105,000.

How his docket looks now

Messi, 38, flew backmost to Europe aft scoring doubly and assisting 2 much arsenic Inter Miami precocious past Nashville successful the MLS playoffs, mounting up an Eastern semifinal against FC Cincinnati. He is successful Spain earlier linking up with Argentina successful Alicante for Friday’s affable against Angola arsenic mentation for adjacent summer’s World Cup. You cognize the standard of his Barça legacy: 672 goals successful 778 games and 34 trophies, including 10 LaLiga titles and 4 Champions League crowns. If a tribute nighttime lands erstwhile Camp Nou is ready, the nine and its supporters yet get the send-off helium ne'er received.