Barcelona President Joan Laporta rules out Lionel Messi return – ‘Inappropriate’ | OneFootball

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has taken the bold step of ruling out a return for Lionel Messi under his tenure. The Argentine superstar made a surprise return to Camp Nou on Sunday night, and admitted in an interview that he misses living in the city.

Having recently signed a contract extension with Inter Miami until 2028, it seems unlikely that Messi intends to return to Barcelona as a player, but he did note that he and his family miss the city that they grew up in; Messi still owns the same house he lived in. His return was not known to the club when he set foot on the Camp Nou pitch again last Sunday, with Barcelona President Joan Laporta away watching the team against Celta Vigo.

Many saw it as pointed that he did not appear alongside Laporta, whom he and his family supposedly blame for his exit. Speaking in an interview with Catalunya Radio, Laporta was asked about the incident.

Image via RTVE

“I didn’t know he was coming, but the Spotify Camp Nou is his home. When they explained how it happened, I think it was a sweet little spur-of-the-moment decision; he’d just finished dinner and felt like coming with some friends.”

Possible Lionel Messi testimonial

Laporta is keen to host a testimonial match for Messi, giving him a chance to say farewell to the fans he called his own for most of his professional career. The Barcelona President was keen for Messi to be the one to reopen a fully renovated Camp Nou.

“It’s only right that Leo receives the most beautiful tribute in the world. When it’s finished, we’ll have a capacity of 105,000 fans, so we’d love to have him there. We’re working on the tribute and on ensuring that the best football in the world can be seen, and as part of the tribute, we’d like to offer Leo the tribute he deserves.”

Messi will not be re-signed by Barcelona under Laporta

Despite his desire to host Messi, Laporta was not willing to entertain a more permanent return to the club as a player.

“It wasn’t how we all wanted it, things were as they were. If, in some way, the tribute can help to undo what wasn’t done perfectly, but still needed to be done, that would be good. Speculating about a possible return as a player is not appropriate.”

Certainly the merits of Messi’s return on a football level are to be debated, but it is significant that Laporta is willing to publicly distance himself from a move for Messi. Two years ago, the Blaugrana attempted to re-sign Messi as a free agent, but the Inter Miami star’s camp were unconvinced Barcelona could register him.