Lionel Messi sends an emotional message to Barcelona and hints at his desire to return

Lionel Messi, Barcelona legend and current Inter Miami star, revealed his emotional visit to the renovated Camp Nou in an Instagram post, where he expressed his desire to return one day. It was a heartfelt message that moved fans worldwide — a reflection of his enduring bond with the club where he became a global icon.

“Last night I returned to a place I miss deeply. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” Messi wrote, sharing five photos and a video of himself at the Camp Nou, the historic home of FC Barcelona.

“I hope that one day I can come back, not just to say goodbye as a player, which I never had the chance to do…” added the Argentine forward, who recently led Inter Miami to the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals with a brace in a 4-0 win over Nashville SC.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has long dreamed of bringing Messi back for the grand reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou, scheduled for 2026. But before that day arrives, Messi decided to reconnect with the place that shaped his career — now lit up in the club’s iconic blue and maroon colors, empty yet still full of life.

The last time Messi played at Camp Nou

The last time Lionel Messi played an official match at Camp Nou as a Barcelona player was on May 16, 2021. The match took place on La Liga’s Matchday 37, when Barcelona fell 2-1 to Celta Vigo.

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Although no one realized it at the time, that game turned out to be Messi’s silent farewell to the stadium, as he scored the team’s only goal before his emotional departure was confirmed in August 2021 due to financial issues that prevented the club from renewing his contract.

Messi never had the chance to bid farewell to the fans at Camp Nou — something he has publicly lamented, as he did again in his recent post. Soon after leaving Barcelona, he joined Paris Saint-Germain before continuing his career in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, where he remains one of soccer’s biggest global stars.

Barcelona respond to Messi’s visit

Everyone knows Messi’s departure came as a result of poor management from the club’s former president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. Despite that difficult chapter, the love and bond between the club and its greatest legend never truly faded — something both sides have continued to show over the years.

This time was no different, as Barcelona sent a heartfelt message to Messi through their official social media channels following his emotional visit to Camp Nou. The post read: “Always welcome home, Leo.”