The talk surrounding Lionel Messi and Joan Laporta has flared up as soon as once more, pushed by the Argentine’s shock look on the redeveloped Camp Nou—a second that immediately reignited hypothesis about whether or not Messi might ever play for Barcelona once more. That go to, coupled with Messi’s public affection for the membership, positioned recent gas on a rumor that refuses to die. Into that noise stepped Laporta himself this week, ending the dialogue with a decisive tone, punctuated by a agency 10-word warning.
Messi’s surprising presence on the stadium was sufficient to ship Catalonia and the soccer world again into a well-known loop. It has been over 4 years since Messi’s emotional departure—an exit marked by disappointment, damaged assurances, and deep pressure between the participant and the membership’s management. Even so, the picture of Messi strolling by means of the brand new Camp Nou immediately reopened the previous query: May soccer’s biggest ever Barcelona determine nonetheless discover a approach again?
His new long-term contract at Inter Miami already made such a prospect unlikely, however the symbolism of the go to and the thawing of his relationship with Laporta saved the thought alive within the public creativeness. Some even recommended that Messi’s affection for Barcelona might result in a short-term mortgage within the MLS low season. Nonetheless, Laporta’s message ended that hypothesis instantly.
Laporta ends the controversy, sharply and publicly
Talking to the media, Laporta reduce by means of the nostalgia with shocking bluntness. As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, he stated: “Leo Messi’s return as a participant is one thing simply not sensible. As of now, he has a contract with Inter Miami.”
Barcelona President Joan Laporta and Lionel Messi
The Barcelona president elaborated additional, insisting that the membership should look past sentiment and symbolism. “The membership is constructing a challenge for the current and future,” he defined. And it was right here, on the coronary heart of his rationalization, that Laporta delivered the 10-word warning that framed his reasoning: “When you stay up to now, you hardly transfer ahead.”
That line, repeated constantly throughout sources, served as each a justification and a warning shot—one which appeared directed not solely at followers, but in addition at inner political rivals nonetheless campaigning on the thought of Messi’s return.
Actuality that was at all times unlikely
Even earlier than Laporta’s intervention, the situations for a Messi comeback had been practically unattainable. The striker’s contract at Inter Miami runs till 2028, and the MLS membership has no plans—monetary or sporting—to lose their marquee attraction. Messi can also be 38, and Barcelona’s squad planning has shifted to a brand new timeline and a brand new technology. Laporta’s newest feedback merely put into public phrases what insiders have lengthy understood: Messi won’t return to Barcelona as a participant.
But, the membership president additionally harassed that the Catalans’ bond with Messi is way from over. Whereas shutting the door on a soccer reunion, Laporta emphasised that the membership stays dedicated to honoring Messi correctly. Plans have been in dialogue for months relating to a everlasting tribute, together with the potential set up of a statue on the Camp Nou as soon as the stadium reopens.
This aligns with earlier statements from Laporta, who has repeatedly described Messi because the membership’s greatest-ever determine. The connection—as soon as fractured by the chaos of 2021—has softened, and each events seem comfy within the thought of a respectful, symbolic reconnection relatively than a aggressive one.
