Barcelona confirm Lionel Messi statue plans | OneFootball

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that the club intends to erect a statue of Blaugrana icon Lionel Messi at the Spotify Camp Nou.

This of course comes fresh off the Argentine paying a surprise visit to his former stomping grounds earlier this week.

Speaking during an appearance in front of the media on Thursday, Messi’s name was in turn put to Laporta once more.

And the Spanish patron did not hesitate in announcing:

“Leo Messi deserves to have a statue at the new stadium. We will prepare a design, talk to the family and if they agree we can proceed for that.”

This gesture on Laporta’s part comes amid what appears to be a lowering of the tensions between Barcelona’s president and the club’s greatest-ever player.

Messi is understood to have been left deeply hurt by the role played by Laporta in his departure from Catalunya’s capital back in the summer of 2021.

With the veteran attacker having taken the first step towards resolution courtesy of his Camp Nou trip this week, though, Laporta evidently now feels that the time has come for Barcelona to pay Messi his well-earned respects.

Conor Laird – GSFN