Barcelona president Joan Laporta has firmly ended any lingering hopes of Lionel Messi returning to the club, stating that the chapter with the Argentine legend is closed once and for all.
Context of all this scenario
Lionel Messi made a surprise and emotional visit to Camp Nou, the iconic stadium of his former club FC Barcelona, in November 2025. During this visit, he shared several photos from inside and outside the stadium, capturing the place he deeply missed and where he was immensely happy. One particularly famous photo taken by Rodrigo De Paul during Messi’s visit has become highly popular, surpassing millions of likes on social media. Messi also posted an emotional message expressing his hope to one day return to the club not just to say goodbye but to be part of it again in some capacity.
After this Joan Laporta responded
Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has definitively closed the door on any possibility of Lionel Messi returning to the club as a player. He described any speculation about Messi’s comeback as “unrealistic” and not the right time to entertain such ideas, out of respect for Messi, the current players, and the club members. Laporta acknowledged that Messi’s departure in 2021 was not what anyone wanted, but it was unavoidable due to the club’s financial constraints at the time, and he expressed no regrets about the decision since the club’s interests come first.
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However, Laporta expressed a desire to organize a grand tribute match for Messi at the renovated Camp Nou, which will have a capacity of 105,000 once completed, to properly honor Messi’s legacy and give fans a chance to pay their respects in person. Laporta emphasized that Messi is still loved, appreciated, and will always be welcome at Barcelona, but as of now, a playing return is not considered feasible or appropriate.
For visual references, Messi’s photos from the visit are available on social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, showing him inside the stadium and interacting warmly with the space and fans’ memories there.