Lionel Messi drops major hint after Barcelona icon pays secret visit to Camp Nou: 'I hope one day I can...'

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi had an emotional, albeit secret homecoming at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, the venue that he had called home for the first 17 years of his senior career, on Sunday. Messi, who had bid an emotional goodbye to Barcelona in the summer of 2021, added that he hoped to return to the venue someday “not just to say goodbye as a player”.

“Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul. A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world. I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to…” read the caption of Messi’s post on Instagram in which she shared pictures of him at the iconic venue.

More from Football

Lionel Messi's 'unrealistic' return to Barcelona ruled out: 'Not right to speculate' Harry Kane emerges Barcelona’s top target in hunt for Robert Lewandowski's replacement: Report

“You’re always welcome at your home, Leo,” the club replied in a post on X.

Back home for the first time in over four years

It marks Messi’s return to his home of 17 years for the first time since he had parted ways with Barcelona at the end of the 2020-21 season, the club unable offer him a new contract due to to the financial crisis that they were facing at the time.

It had brought to an end a storied chapter in which Messi helped the Catalan giants win 10 LaLiga titles in addition to four UEFA Champions League titles and three FIFA Club World Cups. Messi would go on to play two seasons for Paris Saint-Germain after joining the French giants as a free agent, and has been with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami since 2023.

A report, however, claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has not given up on bringing Messi back to the club whose academy he had graduated from before embarking upon a legendary career. With Messi’s contract with Inter Miami expiring this December, Laporta has planned a major tribute for the legendary forward at the renovated venue next summer.

The iconic Camp Nou, meanwhile, has been under construction since 2023, with Barcelona having temporarily moved to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys or the Olympic Stadium for the last couple of seasons.

While Camp Nou will have a capacity of 104,000 once the renovation work is completed, which will make it the largest football stadium in Europe, the venue is expected to start hosting matches with limited capactiy reportedly as early as 22 November – when they are scheduled to face Athletic Club in a home fixture.