Lionel Messi made headlines when he made a surprise visit to Camp Nou before he linked up with his Argentina teammates in Alicante.
Messi shared images of his visit in a social media post, admitting: “I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to…”
The Argentina international left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 after scoring 672 goals in 778 competitive appearances.
Messi won a significant amount of silverware with the Catalan giants, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
The 38-year-old cemented his place as the greatest player in Barcelona history and deserves a tribute to match his legacy at the club.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes that Messi deserves to join Laszlo Kubala and Johan Cruyff by having a statue at the renovated Camp Nou.
Laporta planning Messi tribute at Camp Nou
“Messi deserves the tribute at Can Barca, the most beautiful in the world, and also, along with the board of directors and his teammates, we always think that more has to be done for Messi,” Laporta said on Friday.
“I think Messi should have a statue at Camp Nou. If Kubala and Cruyff also have statues [outside the Camp Nou], I think it would be only fair for Leo to have his own.
“He's one of those iconic players who have defined an era for all of us.”
Providing further detail over the plans, Laporta said: “We're working on it, the family has to agree. When the time is right and we have the design, we'll bring it up.
“We would be very pleased, all Barcelona fans would love to have a statue of Leo Messi where the great figures in Barca's history are.”
FGG says: Just a matter of time for Messi statue
Given Messi's importance to Barcelona's story, it is only a matter of time until he receives a fitting tribute for his services to the club.
With that said, a cynic could argue that Laporta's intention to build the statue may be an effort to improve his relationship with Messi.
It is widely known that Messi was left disappointed with the manner of his exit in 2021, leading to a breakdown in his relationship with the club president.
The Argentine may get immortalised with a statue, but do not rule out the possibility that he returns to Barcelona in an official capacity at some point in the future.
Messi has no plans to be a manager, but he has indicated that he would be open to being a club owner, perhaps hinting that the club presidency would be an appealing option. At the very least, he could take an interest in supporting a candidate in future elections for the presidency.