Inter Miami owner promises Lionel Messi a Barcelona farewell match

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :October 4, 2023 at 4:00 AM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

Inter Miami owner promises Lionel Messi a Barcelona farewell match

(Courtesy : Inter Miami)

The Argentine superstar left Barcelona in 2021

Lionel Messi will be permitted to make one more appearance at Barcelona while playing for Inter Miami, as the Argentine is ready to play at Camp Nou once more.

When announcing his tearful exit from the Liga giants in 2021, the Argentine legend was stopped from saying his final farewells on the pitch in Catalunya. Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent since Barca had no way to pay for a contract renewal at that time.

In 2023, there was talk of Messi returning to Barcelona, but he finally chose to pursue his American dream with MLS team Inter Miami rather than staying in Europe. With the idea of an exhibition game, Barca have kept the door open for a wayward son to eventually return to his spiritual home.

Inter Miami's president, Jorge Mas, told El Club del Deportista that the club would be pleased to arrange such a gathering.

“Messi's departure from Barcelona was not to his liking, he could not say goodbye to his club that welcomed him as a child, and I think the circumstances were not what Lionel wanted.

I gave him my commitment that I will do everything possible in the coming years to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to his fans in Barcelona. Inter Miami will go or we will do some kind of match.”

Messi led Inter Miami to a remarkable victory in the first Leagues Cup while playing for Barcelona, where he tallied 672 goals in 778 appearances and helped the team win 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League wins. Messi is a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.