During an awards ceremony organized in Miami, Lionel Messi experienced a moment of deep emotion when he discovered a video where Barça supporters sent him messages of love and recognition. Rewarded not for a title, a record or a sporting performance, but for everything he represented for the city and the club which welcomed him at 12 years old, the Argentinian could not hold back his tears. He confided that Barcelona remains “his home and his people”recalling the intensity of the years spent in Catalonia, made of success, and a unique relationship with the supporters. Messi also spoke with a touch of bitterness about his unwanted departure, marked by the absence of an extension decided by Joan Laporta, an injury that is still raw despite time. He admits not having returned to Camp Nou since his departure, regretting in particular having left European football without being able to say goodbye in front of the public, in the middle of a pandemic period.
For Messi, the distance has not erased anything: the return to Barcelona is part of the certainties of his future. The Inter Miami player confided that he imagined returning to live in the Catalan capital once his American adventure was over, even seeing himself attending the matches “like any fan”. “For now, I’ll probably be here for a few more years, but we’re going back to Barcelona because, like I’ve always said, it’s my home, it’s my home. We miss it a lot, so we will come back”he assured, promising to become a fan like any other again, in the stands, supporting the club that marked his life. New proof that between Messi and Barcelona, the link has never broken, and that it seems destined to strengthen again.
