Laporta keen to bring Lionel Messi back to the Nou Camp

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By Martin Graham | 25th Jul 2022

Joan Laporta has still not gotten over the departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona and is keen to bring the Argentine back to the club. The Barcelona president said he hopes Messi still has another Barcelona chapter and wants him to end his career differently.

One of the pillars of success at Real Madrid is their ruthless decision-making devoid of sentiments. The European champions have a knack for making bold decisions even when it isn’t the most popular. The history of Los Merengues is replete with players who left the club even when fans expected them to stay for a little longer.

Real Madrid sold one of their greatest ever players, Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the sentimental attachment to the player. However, they have moved on from the Portuguese.

On the other side of Spain, the ghost of Real Madrid’s triumphs seem to be haunting Barcelona. The Catalan giants can’t get over their past and have gone into a frenzy in a quest to upstage Real Madrid. Los Blaugrana once sought to bring back Neymar to the Nou Camp without success and are now seeking to bring Lionel Messi back to the club. Perhaps these reckless and sentimental decisions brought the club to its knees, leaving them deep in a financial mess.

Laporta keen to bring Lionel Messi back to the Nou Camp

Barcelona have not outgrown Messi and are struggling to move on following the departure of the mercurial Argentine last season. Club president Joan Laporta insists he would like to bring La Pulga back to the club in the future. The Argentine currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi is inside the final year of the two-year contract he signed with PSG.

Barcelona and Lionel Messi had a season to forget, and Laporta wants to be reunited with their greatest ever player. Financial issues contributed immensely to bringing to a halt the 21-year association between Messi and Barcelona. Following his departure, Barcelona fell like a pack of cards, while Messi failed to hit the heights at PSG despite helping the Paris club win Ligue 1.

Unfinished business at Barcelona

It is currently mission impossible for Lionel Messi to return to Barcelona. The Catalan giants hope he does not sign a contract extension as his current deal expires in 12 months. Laporta wants to reunite with the Argentine, who would be 36 when his PSG contract expires.

Laporta hinges his desire for a Messi reunion on hope. He holds on to a belief that the Argentine chapter with Barcelona is not over. Speaking to ESPN, Laporta said it was his responsibility to ensure that the Messi chapter is always open and has a more splendid ending.

Laporta claims to be indebted to Lionel Messi. He also opines that as Barcelona president, he did the needful. He also expects posterity to judge him well, but on a personal level, he owes Messi.

Whether Messi can still light the scene is a different tale entirely. If the performances of last season are anything to go by, then the Argentine is way past his best. Messi scored six goals and provided 14 assists in his PSG debut campaign. For a player of his status, it is an average performance that needs improvement.

Messi would hope to get back to his best under new PSG manager Christophe Galtier. PSG have won their three pre-season games with Messi yet to get on the score sheet.