Overview
- Lionel Messi posted photos and video from inside the under-renovation Camp Nou, writing that he returned to a place he “misses with his soul” and hopes to “come back someday, not only to say goodbye.”
- FC Barcelona amplified the moment with a welcome message, and president Joan Laporta has floated a Messi homage to help inaugurate the rebuilt stadium, targeted for 2026.
- Messi’s entourage told EFE the visit was not coordinated with the club, and Spanish outlet AS reported that contractor Limak arranged his nighttime access to the stadium.
- There is no public negotiation for a transfer, and Messi’s Inter Miami contract runs through the 2028 MLS season, limiting options for anything beyond a brief, temporary stint.
- Multiple reports note the MLS offseason loan pathway, often called the “Beckham clause,” as a plausible short-term mechanism, while Messi now joins Argentina in Alicante ahead of a friendly in Angola.