FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has finally come clean about the recent Lionel Messi fiasco. Just a few weeks ago, Barca fans were rejoicing at the prospect of Messi returning to his boyhood club. After declining to extend his contract at PSG, Messi’s goal was to go back to FC Barcelona. Moreover, even a $1.2 billion contract from Al-Hilal couldn’t sway Messi’s decision.
Although FC Barcelona couldn’t facilitate Lionel Messi’s return due to the club’s economic constraints. This ultimately forced Messi decided to sign with Inter Miami. Although both Messi and the club tried to explain their side of the events later. Most recently, Laporta has talked about the situation in an interview with Onze. He said, “I think Messi wanted to return to Barça and his father said that he had had a very hard adaptation in Paris”.
Laporta: “I think Messi wanted to return to Barça and his father said that he had had a very hard adaptation in Paris”. 🇦🇷
“I respected Leo’s decision to join Inter Miami. We are working on super tribute, opening day of Spotify Camp Nou could be perfect”, told @OnzeTv3. pic.twitter.com/nyDwDTgetC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2023
Lionel Messi has previously talked about the hard time he faced at PSG. Despite putting in impressive performances, Messi was harshly treated by the PSG supporters. Moreover, during his last few weeks at the club, he was even briefly suspended for taking an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia. All these incidents made Messi bitter about his two-year stint in the French capital.
Tickets for every match vs. Inter Miami across the whole USA have been completely sold out.
Leo Messi’s influence is unreal 🐐 pic.twitter.com/kjzTPtSDfu
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) June 8, 2023
Laporta further added that he respected Messi’s decision to go to Inter Miami. The former FC Barcelona star has reportedly signed a lucrative $150 million contract with the MLS-based club. He is expected to make his debut on July 21 against Cruz Azul in front of the already sold-out DRV Pink Stadium. Laporta further revealed his plans about hosting Messi’s tribute match at Spotify Camp Nou in the future.
When will Lionel Messi’s tribute match take place?
Lionel Messi’s stature is so great at FC Barcelona that his name has become synonymous with the historic Spanish club. Since arriving at the club as a child, Messi has etched his name in the record books of FC Barcelona. The former Barcelona skipper holds the record for being the top scorer, top assists provider, the player with the most titles, the player with the most appearances, and so on.
Despite his shocking departure from the club in 2021, Messi’s love for the Catalan club remains intact. The 36-year-old even has the club’s logo tattooed on his leg. However, unlike other former club legends, Messi didn’t have a proper farewell during his departure due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, club president Joan Laporta and Messi’s father have been working on hosting a tribute match for Lionel Messi.
Laporta had earlier said, “We (he and Jorge Messi) have seen each other. I congratulated him on Argentina’s World Cup victory. We are talking about a tribute match for Leo, who has extraordinary affection for Barca. He’s at PSG right now, so I don’t want to speak about whether or not he could return. Leo’s thing isn’t about money, we’re talking about a tribute.“
Barça president Laporta: “I met Jorge Messi, we talked about the World Cup and a tribute match for Leo. I’m happy for him”. 🇦🇷 #FCB
“He’s at PSG right now, so I don’t want to speak about whether or not he could return”. pic.twitter.com/Pcqkp7uyqR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 7, 2023
Moreover, Messi has also expressed his desire to have a fitting farewell from the club like his former club teammates Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba at the Spotify Camp Nou. However, it is expected that it will not take place until 2024. The reason for that is Barca’s iconic stadium, Camp Nou, is currently undergoing renovations which won’t be finished before 2024.