What did Joan Laporta say about Leo Messi returning to Barcelona?

In the middle of a crazy summer at Barça, which has seen the arrivals of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, Joan Laporta dropped another more bombshell in an interview with ESPN. The Barça president spoke to the US media outlet about the possible return of Leo Messi to Camp Nou. Unlike other platitude-seeking comments on the subject from others, and although he did speak of homage, Laporta’s words suggested rthat he was not referring to a post-retirement return as a coach or an ambassador, but with a view to seeing the club’s greatest-ever player pull on the blaugrana shirt competitively again. “I think, I hope that Leo Messi’s story with Barcelona is not over yet. It is still open, it is our responsibility to make sure it has a more beautiful ending than it had. As president of Barça I feel indebted to Messi,”.

Laporta’s statements have set Barça’s fanbase abuzz with something that has been on the cards ever since Messi left Camp Nou for PSG under a cloud last summer. After a single season at the Parc des Princes, the possibility of a return to the club he joined as a boy from Newell’s and where he won so many individual and team titles, cementing his place as one of the greatest players of all time, has never been far from anyone’s mind. Messi is under contract with PSG for another season and although he has been offered a one-year extension, there is a growing feeling that the Argentinean may well return to his alma mater when his PSG deal expires next June.

Xavi keen on Messi reunion

Xavi has also expressed his desire to coach his former teammate at some stage and the legendary midfielder would doubtless relish the possibility to link up with Messi again. The legendary number 10 would no longer be the axis of the team, neither would he expect to be, but it is impossible to imagine that he would not contribute from some position, perhaps dropping back to the tip of a midfield diamond as he has on occasion at PSG.