Lionel Messi’s chapter with FC Barcelona is not over according to the Catalan club’s president Joan Laporta.
Speaking to ESPN, Laporta revealed that he believes the Argentine will return to the club again, having spent 21 years at the Camp Nou.
Messi suddenly exited Barcelona in August last year with financial issues at the club forcing their hand, eventually joining French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal with the option for a third.
The 35-year-old failed to set the world on fire in his debut season at PSG, netting 11 goals from 34 appearances in all competitions as they won Ligue 1 but fell short in the UEFA Champions League, losing in the last 16 to Real Madrid.
Laporta was glowing of Messi, who joined Barcelona in 2000 as a teenager, and said he deserved a “more beautiful ending” at the club after exiting with a teary press conference.
“Messi was everything,” Laporta told ESPN.
“To Barca, he’s been possibly its greatest player, the most efficient. To me he’s only comparable to Johan Cruyff. But it had to happen one day.
“We had to make a decision as a consequence of what we inherited. The institution is in charge of players, coaches.
“I would hope that the Messi chapter isn’t over. I think it’s our responsibility to try to find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn’t closed, so it turns out like it should have, and that it has a more beautiful ending.”
He added: “As president of Barca, I did what I had to do. But also as president of Barca, and on a personal level, I think I owe him.”
Despite their financial issues, Barcelona have spent a lot this off-season, landing Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in big-money deals, along with free agents Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
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