After nearly 900 days, Barcelona’s historic home Camp Nou finally reopened on November 7. The stadium, which has witnessed countless unforgettable moments, welcomed back an unexpected visitor—Lionel Messi, the club’s all-time top scorer.
Despite his 21-year legacy, the Argentine icon never received a proper farewell from the Catalan giants. Now, Barcelona is moving toward an initiative that may help ease that long-standing regret.
Messi’s unannounced entry took place just days after the remodeled stadium opened its doors. The upgraded Camp Nou—featuring expanded seating and modern facilities—hosted its first training session last Friday, drawing more than 20,000 fans. A few days later, Messi quietly visited his old home before sharing an emotional post and picture online, surprising fans worldwide.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏,” 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒂 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚.
Barcelona Plans Messi Statue to Honor His Legacy
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who has publicly expressed regret over the club’s inability to give Messi the farewell he deserved, has now confirmed a long-discussed initiative:
A statue of Lionel Messi will be placed in front of Camp Nou.
The idea was originally raised in the club’s 2021 AGM, but Messi’s sudden exit before contract renewal halted the plan. Now, with the new Camp Nou unveiled, the club is pushing it forward again.
Laporta explained:
“𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚, 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊’𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍.”
Currently, statues of legends Johan Cruyff and László Kubala stand outside the stadium, and Messi’s statue would join them as a tribute to his historic career.
Lionel debuted for Barcelona’s senior team in 2004, playing 778 matches, scoring 672 goals, and lifting 35 trophies, including:
- 4 Champions League titles
- 3 Club World Cups
- 10 La Liga titles
The club believes a statue is the least they can do to honor one of the greatest players in football history.
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