Could Lionel Messi play one last match at the Camp Nou? Potential Barcelona testimonial explained

Lionel Messi has finally received the Argentina farewell he deserved, but Barcelona supporters are still waiting for their own chance to say goodbye to the club's greatest-ever player.

With the rebuilt Camp Nou expected to be fully finished by 2028, the possibility of a testimonial for Messi could finally provide the emotional farewell his departure never allowed.

Why Lionel Messi never got a Barcelona testimonial and whether it could still happen

Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after 17 years with the club, having made a record 778 appearances and scored 672 goals.

His departure came during the pandemic and amid Barcelona's financial crisis, meaning there was no opportunity for the emotional Camp Nou farewell many supporters expected.

His relationship with president Joan Laporta also remains complicated.

Messi was disappointed by how his exit was handled and later decided against returning to Barcelona in 2023, despite talks over a possible move from Paris Saint-Germain.

There have, however, been signs that the door could eventually reopen. Laporta has repeatedly said Messi deserves a testimonial and wants a statue of the Argentine outside Camp Nou.

Messi himself also hinted at his desire for a proper farewell when he unexpectedly visited the partially rebuilt stadium in 2025.

“I wish I could come back some day, and not just to say goodbye as a football player in a way I could never do,” he wrote.

Laporta has since said Barcelona would like to honour Messi once the renovated Camp Nou is finished, adding that it would only happen if the player wants it.

Messi remains contracted to Inter Miami until 2028, meaning his availability and playing future will be crucial.

He has also begun looking towards life beyond playing, with involvement in Spanish clubs Cornella and Eldense.

FGG says: Messi deserves his Camp Nou farewell when the time is right

After watching Messi receive such an emotional send-off in Buenos Aires, it feels almost inevitable that Barcelona will eventually want to create their own version.

It would make sense to wait until the Camp Nou is completely ready rather than rush something into the partially reopened stadium.

A full house inside the finished 105,000-capacity venue and Messi walking back onto the pitch would provide the kind of occasion his Barcelona career never received.

Whether Messi would actually play remains impossible to know at this stage, particularly with his Inter Miami contract running until 2028.

But whenever the moment comes, Barcelona and Messi surely deserve the chance to give supporters the farewell that was denied to them five years ago.