Lionel Messi left Barcelona back in 2021 due to the financial issues that started back in 2019. Blaugrana are yet to fully recover from these issues that left them in great debt. However, no one including Messi could imagine that he would be let go.l He had a chance to come back last year in the summer. However, as that didn’t happen, Messi is set to feature in a farewell-friendly match. During a recent interview, Joan Laporta provided two dates when that could happen.
Barcelona let Lionel Messi go back in 2021 due to financial problems that have been haunting them for over 4 years now. Even Messi was unaware of the situation until the very moment when it was decided that he had to go. He then joined PSG where he spent 2 miserable years. The World Cup winner later expressed in an interview that he was not happy in Paris. When his contract with Paris ended at the end of last term, Messi had the chance to come back to Barcelona.
However, it is known that Blaugrana are yet to recover from their issues. This caused several player registration issues last season with La Liga. As per Lionel Messi, current Barcelona president Joan Laporta couldn’t guarantee to him that they would be able to register him before the start of the season. This led to Messi trading in uncertain waves, so he decided on his future quickly and joined Inter Miami. Messi is still set to come back the club for a friendly farewell match.
No date had been set, but Laporta previously said the match could be held with three opening of the renovated Spotify Camp Nou. In a recent interview with SPORT, Laporta said, “It would be fantastic if Messi could be present at the Camp Nou’s premiere. It has been discussed, and if it were in June 2026, it would be when the Spotify Camp Nou is finished. We will be returning in November 2024, and that could also be an important date. Let’s see. We would like it, and I hope it can happen.”
Messi’s teammates, especially Iniesta and Xavi got a grand farewell when they left the club. However, when Messi left in 2021, the circumstances were less than favourable. La Blaugrana were already in deep waters with a huge debt back then. Even so, it was unimaginable that Messi, who was still one of the most important parts of the team, would be let go. However, he was and it was near the end of the transfer window. This left him to make a quick decision on his next destination.
The move to PSG was sudden and it was neither easy on his family nor him as he would later reveal. This left a lasting impression as it would seem in the summer of this year. Messi refused to wait for something from Barcelona that might not even happen. That could have been the end of the story for the two parties. However, Messi is a club legend and the club agreed that he deserves a proper farewell. Hence, it has been in the works for some time.
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