Lionel Messi returns to Barca, from romantic dream to reality

TPO - Barca fans are going crazy over the images of Lionel Messi visiting Camp Nou, then thinking about the prospect of the 38-year-old superstar returning to wear the Blaugrana shirt. So is this possible?

Lionel Messi quietly visited Camp Nou on Sunday, posting a photo of himself arriving there, walking down Avinguda Joan XXIII, one of the main streets leading to Camp Nou, on Instagram. By Tuesday, the post had racked up 21 million likes, making it one of Leo’s top five most viewed photos.

The image of Messi near Camp Nou really evoked strong emotions from fans, with most of them being Barca fans, reminiscing about the good old days. Coincidentally, on Tuesday, SPORT published an exclusive interview with Messi. In it, the superstar, who has been with the Catalan team for 21 years, said that he "cherished every moment at Barca" and "imagined himself playing for the rest of his life in the red-blue shirt".

"I really want to go back to Barcelona. We miss it so much. The kids and my wife keep talking about Barcelona, ​​​​​​about the idea of ​​coming back to live here," he shared. This sentiment, along with the act of walking to Camp Nou, has fueled the dream of seeing Messi once again wearing a Barca shirt. Is this possible?

Messi walks to the Camp Nou under construction.

As you know, the 2025 MLS season is not over yet. Messi's Inter Miami just beat Nashville to advance to the semi-finals of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. After the final on December 6, the tournament officially ended and only started again, with a new season, in the second half of February 2016.

Taking advantage of this break, many MLS players, such as Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan and David Beckham in the past, can sign loan contracts with European teams. So Messi could absolutely return to Barca in the same way. Only the La Liga transfer market only opens in January. That means if Messi signs, he will only appear for a little over a month.

A more likely option would be a six-month loan deal. Playing for Barca for the remainder of the 2025/26 season would be a big temptation for Messi, who has stressed the importance of preparation ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Playing at the highest level in Europe would of course be great preparation.

Messi still has love for Barca.

The hurdle lies in whether Barca can meet financial fair play rules to register Messi, and whether Inter Miami will agree to lose Messi for half a season, given their desire for trophies (e.g. CONCACAF Champions League).

Messi's return to Barca is a long way off, but the Blaugrana players are already excited. A quick count shows that nine Barca players, from Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez, Eric Garcia to Raphinha, Gavi, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo and Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Martin all liked Messi's post.

It would also not be difficult to integrate Messi into Hansi Flick's current squad. He can play as a false nine, creating space for Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford or Raphinha, or act as a playmaker behind the trident. Barca are currently competing in many arenas and all are aiming for the top spot. Messi's experience, talent and champion mentality would be extremely useful.

Since leaving Camp Nou, Messi has always said his biggest regret is not being able to say goodbye to the Catalan fans on the pitch. If he and Barca like the idea of ​​a reunion, it would be a dream come true.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lionel-messi-tro-lai-barca-tu-giac-mo-lang-man-den-thuc-te-post1795418.tpo