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Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s advisor Enric Masip believes club legend Lionel Messi deserves a fitting tribute at the renovated Camp Nou Stadium. He also opined that the Argentine icon was "the greatest player of all time."
During a recent appearance on the Sergio Gonzalez Show, Masip made Barcelona's intention clear when asked about a possible tribute match for Lionel Messi. He said (via Barca Universal):
“The president has always said that he admires Messi deeply and would be thrilled to organize a farewell at the new Camp Nou, in whatever format Messi chooses. He’s the greatest player of all time, and he deserves that honor.”
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Lionel Messi is arguably the best player to have donned the Barcelona colors. A product of the famed academy La Masia, Messi was a huge part of La Blaugrana’s golden era, helping the Catalan club win a plethora of trophies, including multiple UEFA Champions League and LaLiga titles.
In the 2014-15 season, Barcelona’s financial condition began to deteriorate, and it kept getting worse until the summer of 2021, when Messi’s contract was set to expire. As they couldn’t resolve their financial issues before his contract ran out, the Argentine maestro left the club against his will.
He left Barca as their all-time top scorer, with 672 goals in 778 games across competitions.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but he found it difficult to settle in the French capital. He left the Ligue 1 club after two seasons and signed a two-year deal with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2023.
The diminutive legend will turn 38 in June, and several reports have linked him with a return to Barcelona to end his career.
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi picks favorite goal from his incredible career
Lionel Messi has named his header against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final while representing Barca as the favorite goal of his career. It was Messi’s first goal in a UCL final as La Blaugrana defeated United 2-0 at Stadio Olimpico.
On Thursday (May 22), Messi said (via ESPN):
"I had many goals that are perhaps even more beautiful and of enormous value, also because of their importance, but the header in the Champions League final against Manchester United was always my favorite."
Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or titles — eight.
