Spanish club president Joan Laporta says the prospect of Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona as a player is “unrealistic”.
Laporta’s comments were made on Wednesday, three days after the Argentine, one of Barcelona’s greatest ever footballers, returned to the Catalan club on an unannounced visit and expressed a desire to “one day return”.
The 38-year-old made a surprise appearance at Barça’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday night and said he hopes “someday I can come back and not just say goodbye as the player I never was.”
Messi, Barça’s all-time leading scorer (672 goals) and capped player (778 caps) and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after a glittering 21-year career at Barcelona.
Messi, who won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups with Barça, currently plays for Inter Miami.
His shocking departure was due to Barcelona’s precarious financial situation and the team could not afford to keep him.
Messi burst into tears at his final press conference at the club where he started his professional career, having joined at the age of 13.
Laporta told Radio Catalunya: “With the utmost respect for Messi, the professionals of the club, Barça and the members of the club, I believe that it is inappropriate for me to make any unrealistic and unfair speculations at this time.”
The club president, who was in charge at the time of Messi’s departure, said he did not regret what happened because “Barça is above all else”.
Barça reopened the Camp Nou on Friday, 895 days after it was closed, holding a public training session attended by 21,795 fans and unveiling the revamped stadium.
“Last night I returned to a place that I remember dearly. A place that made me so happy, a place that made me feel a thousand times more like the happiest person in the world,” Messi wrote on Instagram on Monday, going on to express his hope that he would “someday return.”
Messi extended his contract with Inter Miami in October, but previously said the US Major League Soccer club would likely be his last.
Barça posted on X: “Leo, please come to my house anytime.”
Leo, please come to my house anytime. 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/LUgD5D6Wdb
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 10, 2025
Laporta made it clear that once the rebuilt Camp Nou is fully open, he would like to host a match in honor of Messi’s career.
“Things didn’t end the way we wanted… I think if this tribute can somehow make up for what we couldn’t do, I think it’s a good thing,” Laporta explained.
“It would be right for him to have the best tribute (match) in the world and it would be great to do it here in front of 105,000 fans,” he continued.
Inter Miami forward Messi’s surprise visit to the stadium on Sunday was a “spontaneous” expression of his love for the club, the club president said.
Messi is currently in Spain with the Argentina national team, training for a friendly against Angola.
