Barcelona Plans Messi Statue at Camp Nou

Barcelona President Joan Laporta announced on Thursday that the club is designing a statue to honor Lionel Messi outside the renovated Camp Nou stadium, pending approval from the player and his family. The revelation came shortly after Messi's unannounced visit to the venue earlier this week, marking his first return since departing the club in 2021.

Laporta, speaking at a public event, emphasized Messi's deserving place among Barcelona's legends. "Leo Messi deserves to have a statue at the new stadium," he said. "We will prepare a design, talk to the family and if they agree we can proceed." The initiative revives a proposal first raised at the club's 2021 annual general meeting. Existing statues at Camp Nou commemorate former players Laszlo Kubala and Johan Cruyff, both instrumental in the club's history.

Messi, now 38 and playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, spent 17 years at Barcelona after joining as a 13-year-old from Newell's Old Boys in Argentina. He scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 appearances, contributing to 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League victories. His departure in the summer of 2021 stemmed from the...