Barcelona chief Deco says Lionel Messi will ‘DEFINITELY’ return to Nou Camp and calls old pal ‘greatest idol in history’
LIONEL MESSI will “definitely” return to the Nou Camp for Barcelona one day.
That is according to Barca’s sporting director Deco, who is adamant Messi will come back to his beloved club for a farewell game.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner established himself as arguably the greatest footballer of all time during a glittering 17-year stint with the Blaugrana.
The star forward amassed a staggering total of 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 appearances and won 10 LaLiga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies and four Champions League honours.
Just when it looked like the Argentina captain would end his career with the Catalan giants, he shocked the world by leaving in 2021 due to the club’s dire financial woes.
However, Deco insists the Barcelona faithful haven’t seen the last of former team-mate Messi, whom he described as the “greatest idol”.
The ex-Chelsea star, though, admits there is no date lined up for the Argentine’s return.
Deco told Lance: “He [Messi] will definitely play a farewell game at Barcelona, but when that will be, we don’t know.
“He will always be the greatest idol in the club’s history. The club had great idols, like [Johan] Cruyff, Ronaldo, but he is perhaps the greatest of all.”
Barcelona president Joan Laporta suggested Messi’s farewell match could take place next year in November.
The Spanish champions would like to combine the World Cup winner’s last ever match with the grand opening of their revamped Spotify Camp Nou.
Laporta told Catalunya Radio: “It would be fantastic if he could be part of the Spotify Camp Nou re-opening.
“It will be finished in June 2026 but we will be back in November 2024 and that could also be a good date. We’re going to see. We would like it to happen and I hope it does.”
Messi was keen to return to Barcelona last summer after a turbulent two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain came to a disappointing end.
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However, a deal never materialised and thus he joined Manchester United legend David Beckham’s MLS club Inter Miami, where he has registered a whopping 11 goals and five assists in 13 matches.
The MLS outfit’s managing owner Jorge Mas even admitted that he is open to letting his team play in Barcelona to allow the ex-PSG star to compete one last time in front of his diehard fans.
Deco added: “I’ve been friends with Leo for a long time.
“The issue of him going to the United States was something that had been planned for a long time.
“He already mentioned this idea way back. What changed were those two years at PSG…
“I wasn’t in the conversations [about Messi’s return]. Obviously, Messi is one of the greatest idols in the club’s history.
“He’s happy now and that’s what I think he had to look for in his career.
“About returning to Barcelona, it would have been something spectacular, as he is the greatest player in history, but things ended up happening like this and you can see that he is happy. That’s what matters most.”