Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club are in talks to build a statue of Lionel Messi outside the renovated Camp Nou.
Messi shocked his former employers with a surprise visit to their revamped stadium last week. It later emerged that Barcelona were unaware of his plans, with Messi making a quick stop-off to examine the construction work at Camp Nou before linking up with the Argentina squad.
As he revealed his trip to the stadium, Messi confirmed on social media that he hoped to return to the club “not just as a player” for a formal farewell which he was denied by the nature of his departure from Barcelona in 2021.
A subsequent interview saw Messi confess his desire to return to the city of Barcelona but the idea of a transfer to Hansi Flick’s side has been played down.
Instead, Barcelona are taking a long-term approach to Messi’s eventual homecoming. A tribute event is expected to be held once Camp Nou’s renovations are complete but, in the meantime, Laporta is keen to erect a statue to immortalize the club’s greatest-ever player.
“We are working on that,” Laporta said of a Messi statue on Thursday. “He should have a statue at Spotify Camp Nou, like [Johan] Cruyff and [László] Kubala. He is one of those iconic players who have left their mark on us. We have discussed it at a meeting and are working on it.
“The family must agree. When it’s the right moment and we have the final design of this statue, we’d make the proposal.
“We, as Barça fans, would love the fact of having a statue to honor Lionel Messi in the new stadium, where all Barça legends lay.”
Barcelona’s Plans for Full Lionel Messi Tribute
“Messi will always be linked to Barça, he knows that the doors are open for him,” Laporta continued. “We have absolute respect for him, he deserves the best tribute.”
Aside from a statue, Barcelona’s plans for a formal tribute to Messi have been vague up to this point. Laporta has confirmed he hopes to invite the Argentine to an event once construction work is finalized in 2026.
That tribute event will likely come after Barcelona’s presidential elections, which are expected to be called before the end of the season. Laporta is happy to hold a tribute to Messi if he remains in power but, should a new president be voted in, that new club chief would have to give the go-ahead to any event.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A New Shrine for Messi: Barcelona President Reveals Camp Nou Tribute Plans.
