Lionel Messi has stated that he wants to work with Barcelona again when he hangs up his boots, and he has underlined his desire to do so while requesting a dignified farewell.
After he retires from competition, Lionel Messi has expressed his wish to rejoin Barcelona and have a proper farewell to the team’s supporters.
The news that the Argentine legend, who had played his whole professional career at Camp Nou, was leaving the stadium shook the football world in 2021. He then played for Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons before joining Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer this summer.
On Monday night, Messi was chosen the winner of the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his career. After leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup in Qatar last year, he completed his trophy collection by finishing atop the standings.
Following the occasion, the celebrity discussed his bond with Barcelona and his plans to move back to the city to live and work with the team once more—albeit not as a player. He also restated his intention to bid the supporters of Barcelona a fitting farewell.
Following his win on Monday night, Messi declared, “I still follow Barcelona, of course. I am going to remain a fan, as I always have been. I will always love them, and I do love them now. They have a great balance of experienced and younger people.”
Regarding Barcelona’s current standing in the league, the Argentine continued, saying, “A season is full of surprises, but Barcelona is ready to compete for the Champions League trophy. However, the pressure of being a favourite cannot be placed on you. When Barcelona loses the El Clasico, I can only image how upset their fans must feel. It is incredibly difficult to lose to Real Madrid. I am aware of how the public and media would react.”
“I want to keep having fun while I can since I don’t know how long I have left to play. I’m moving to Barcelona and will have some sort of connection to the team. If only there was another way for me to bid the supporters farewell. I felt weird leaving the club, and it wasn’t a nice thing because of everything I provided both the club and me. I ought to have the opportunity to bid farewell to the individuals I’ve experienced both happiness and grief with.”
Messi then spoke briefly of his time in Paris and his relationship with Kylian Mbappe, whom he pipped to the World Cup trophy last year: “I don’t think the people at PSG care too much about seeing me with the Ballon d’Or. I have greeted Kylian this evening. We had a normal relationship.”