Barcelona President Joan Laporta plans to erect a statue of Lionel Messi at Camp Nou stadium as part of the tribute he wants to pay to the legendary player.
Messi, 38, made an unannounced visit on Sunday to Barcelona’s stadium, before joining the Argentina national team in Spain.
He posted photos on social media with a caption saying he hoped to “get back to say the goodbyes I couldn’t say as a player.”
“Messi deserves to be honored by Barcelona, the most beautiful in the world, and also, together with the board and his teammates, we always believe that more needs to be done for Messi,” Laporta said on Friday while presenting a book about Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy.
“I think Messi should have a statue at the Camp Nou. If (Ladislao) Kubala and (Johan) Cruyff also have statues (outside the Camp Nou), then I think it would be fair for Leo to have his own statue. He is one of those iconic players who defined an era for all of us.”
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi left Barcelona as a free agent in August 2021 due to the financial crisis at the club.
The Argentine captain won a record 34 titles during his 21 years with Barcelona.
Due to coronavirus restrictions at the time, Barcelona’s record appearance and top scorer was unable to properly bid farewell to the team.
Messi, whose relationship with Laporta cooled after his departure, admitted in a recent interview that he did not leave Barcelona as he dreamed.
Regarding the proposed statue, Laporta added: “We are working on it; the family must agree. When the time is right and we have the design, we will put it forward. We will be very happy. All Barcelona fans would like to have a statue of Leo Messi as there are great figures in Barcelona’s history.”
Messi, who joined Inter Miami in 2023 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, recently signed a contract extension to extend his stay at the Florida club until the end of the 2028 MLS season, when he will turn 41 years old.
