Barcelona planning Lionel Messi statue at Camp Nou, says club president Joan Laporta, but return as player shot down
Published 13/11/2025 at 21:15 GMT
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Joan Laporta has revealed Barcelona are planning to pay tribute to Lionel Messi with a statue of one of the club's greatest players outside the Camp Nou. Laporta says Messi deserves an emotional send-off, but shot down a potential return to the club as a player. The Argentina and Barcelona legend sparked speculation that he would make a sensational playing return to the club where it all began.
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Barcelona are planning to erect a statue of Lionel Messi outside the newly renovated Camp Nou, club president Joan Laporta said on Thursday.
The Argentine paid an emotional visit to the stadium this week, returning to the Catalan club where he scored 709 goals in 837 appearances and led the team to 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups across a 21-year spell.
Speaking at a book presentation in Barcelona, Laporta confirmed the board had already discussed plans for a permanent tribute to the World Cup winner.
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"Messi will always be linked to Barca, he knows that the doors are open for him. We have absolute respect for him, he deserves the best tribute," he said.
"He should have a statue at Spotify Camp Nou, like [Johan] Cruyff and [Laszlo] Kubala. He is one of those iconic players who have left their mark on us. We have discussed it at a meeting and are working on it. The family must agree, and all Barca fans would want it."
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The Camp Nou, closed for nearly 900 days for renovation, reopened on Friday with an open training session that drew more than 20,000 fans.
Messi, who also won seven Copa del Reys during his time in Catalonia, left to join Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, but said farewell during an emotional press conference rather than at the stadium he had called home for the entirety of his professional career up until that point.
The FIFA World Cup winner made a shock return to Camp Nou as a visitor earlier this month, stating that he would like to return to the ground in a post on Instagram.
"Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul," read the caption. "A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world.
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"I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to."
That sparked speculation that the Barcelona legend could make a sensational return to the club.
Messi signed a contract extension with his current club, Inter Miami, in October.
His deal is set to run until the culmination of the 2028 Major League Soccer season.
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Laporta said that it is only right that Messi gets the goodbye he deserves, but that speculation about a return as a player is unrealistic.
"For me, to make speculation that is unrealistic, nor do I think is fair, I believe that is not appropriate," he told Catalunya Radio.
"It would be right that he has the best tribute in the world, and it would be wonderful to have it here, in front of 105,000 fans."
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