Laporta rules out one-match Messi loan: I don't think it's even allowed

Barcelona want to pay tribute to the club's greatest ever player

Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated in an interview with EFE that the tribute to Lionel Messi, the player who has beaten all the club's records, will take place whenever the Argentinian star and his family want.

«We are open to doing it when they want to do it. Messi is the best player in history and, given how much we respect and admire him, of course he deserves a tribute at Barcelona,» he said of the Argentine star.

Laporta revealed that the tribute to Messi was discussed when the genuine option of the No.10 returning to Barcelona was mooted last summer but, as it did not happen, «it was left a bit in limbo».

«In the end it didn't happen, because what he told us was totally logical. Because of the pressure he had been under in Paris, he preferred to go to Inter Miami, because that would give him a certain stability. It was a decision we respected,» Laporta explained.

In any case, the Catalan club's president considers the tribute to be a given, although he was unable to set a date.

«I don't know if it will be when we return to the Spotify Camp Nou at the end of 2024 or when the stadium is fully built by July 2026,» he said.

At the time of its reopening, the Camp Nou will have a capacity of 70,000 spectators, but when the work is completed, it will have a capacity of 105,000 seats, which will make the tribute to the best footballer to have ever played for the club even more striking.

«There will be time to talk about it,» said Laporta, who ruled out the possibility of Messi returning to play an official match for Barcelona on loan from Inter Miami.

«There are all kinds of reports, but I don't think that's even allowed by FIFA,» he concluded.