Joan Laporta announced that Barcelona intends to raise a statue of Messi at Camp Nou following an emotional visit from the Argentine star.

The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, stated that the team plans to raise a statue of Lionel Messi in front of the recently renovated Camp Nou stadium. This decision comes after Messi's emotional visit to the stadium, his first since leaving in 2021. Messi expressed on Instagram his longing for the place where he was extremely happy and hoped to return not just to say goodbye. Laporta emphasized that Messi will always be connected to Barcelona and that a permanent tribute is deserved, considering his impact on the club. Statues of other legends, such as Johan Cruyff, already exist, and Laporta mentioned that discussions about this tribute have begun, awaiting the agreement of Messi's family and fans. Messi played for Barcelona between 2000 and 2021, having an impressive record of 520 matches and 474 goals.