Sports

February 24, 2023

Barcelona plan official goodbye for Lionel Messi

Barcelona plan official goodbye for Lionel Messi

Soccer Football – La Liga Santander – FC Barcelona v SD Huesca – Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain – March 15, 2021 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their fourth goal REUTERS/Albert Gea

By Seyifunmi Awobiyi

Spanish giants Barcelona representatives have reportedly been in undisclosed meetings with Lionel Messi’s father and are planning to give the World Cup winner a proper farewell from the club according to Barca Blaugranes.

Messi left Camp Nou for French side Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2021 but wasn’t given tribute in the club he spent most of his career at.

His current contract at PSG is set to be due in the coming summer and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has shown discomfort at his current side and is pushing for a move.

Apparently, the point of the meetings was to discuss the return of Messi to Barcelona, it is still being negotiated on whether he will rekindle or not.

Another reason for the meeting was to smoothen ties between the Messi family and the club following Lionel’s brother Matias publicly shamed the club to be a “small club” before Messi joined.

If the 35-year-old does not return to the Spanish side as a player he will purportedly be given his farewell alongside Barcelona’s 125 years anniversary which will be before the 2024/25 season.

The Argentine has been linked to MLS side Inter Miami and apparently Arabian side Al Halal SFC are considering the move, which could reignite the “GOAT’ rivalry between Lionel and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He has been a key factor for the Parisians this season netting 11 goals and assisting 10 times in Ligue one, scoring the winner against LOSC Lille in their last league match.