The world of football, especially Barcelona fans, was stunned yesterday when Lionel Messi made a shocking, unannounced visit to the Spotify Camp Nou, the stadium he called home for over two decades.
The visit follows an in-depth interview with SPORT, conducted two weeks ago but published today, where the Argentine superstar reflects deeply on his abrupt departure from the club, his unhappy tenure in Paris, and his enduring love for the club.
Messi on his unexpected Barcelona exit
Messi opened up about his sudden exit from Barcelona and what he felt in his final days at the club, his final days at Barcelona, as well as the fact that his final years were played without the roar of a crowd due to the pandemic.
“An odd feeling lingered inside me after I left, because of the way everything happened. And because I ended my final years without a crowd,” he said.
He admitted that his departure was nothing like the glorious farewell he had always envisioned, even revealing that his initial desire was to retire as a Barça player.
“After all that life I spent there, I didn’t leave the way I had imagined, nor the way I had dreamed. I always imagined finishing my entire career in Europe and in Barcelona. Then coming here as I’m doing now, because that was my thinking and my desire.
“The farewell moment was a bit strange too, because of the circumstances and everything surrounding it. But I believe people’s love will always remain, as I said, because of everything we lived through together,” he said.
When talking about the vast length of his career at the club, having arrived at age 12 or 13 and leaving after 16 years in the first team, Messi acknowledged why the bond is unbreakable.
“That lasted a long time. It was 16 years with the first team, and I think about 20 or 21 years since I arrived at Barcelona when I was twelve or thirteen years old. So it’s a very long period, filled with life events, and it’s only natural that the love remains forever,” he said.
Anoche volví a un lugar que extraño con el alma. Un lugar donde fui inmensamente feliz, donde ustedes me hicieron sentir mil veces la persona más feliz del mundo. Ojalá algún día pueda volver, y no solo para despedirme como jugador, como nunca pude hacerlo…
💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/I4yTNSY1fp
— Leo Messi (@leomessisite) November 10, 2025
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner expressed the deep emotion he feels when receiving messages of support from the Catalan faithful.
“It’s wonderful. Everything that reaches me from Barcelona, from the people, and from that stage we lived together, fills me with nostalgia and a lot of emotion,” he said.
Messi went on to talk about the legacy of past players at Barcelona will never change, even as the club go through a period of transition.
“This is what always happens in football. New players emerge, and new fans, but history is never forgotten. Not just with me, but with everyone who passed through the club.
“There are very important people who contributed and helped make the club bigger and stronger. These will always be remembered with love, and that will never be erased,” he stated.
When asked if he still followed the team, the record Ballon d’Or winner replied: “Yes, of course, especially since we are a group of players who live together now.
“We always talk and exchange opinions about what is happening at the club, and we discuss the results and the style of play.”
On whether he had a message to the Barcelona fans, Messi said: “I have a great desire to return there. We miss Barcelona so much. My wife, the children, and I talk constantly about the city, and the idea is to go back and live there again.
“We have our home and everything there, and that’s what we want. I’m really looking forward to visiting the stadium when it’s finished, because since I left for Paris, I haven’t been back to Camp Nou. Then the team moved to Montjuic.
“It will be strange and emotional to return to the new stadium and see it again, because it’s been so long since I last saw it. It will be a very emotional moment, and I’ll relive all the memories, even though the stadium is different now.
“I thank the fans for their constant love, and all I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Messi on his life in Paris and Miami
Addressing his tumultuous two-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi clarified that while the experience was tough professionally, his family enjoyed the city.
“It does seem sometimes that Paris was hell, but it wasn’t. When I say I wasn’t well there, it’s because I didn’t feel comfortable with what I was doing, in the thing I love most—playing football, training, and matches—I didn’t feel like myself,” he said.
“But honestly, on a family level, it was a wonderful experience; the city is amazing, and we enjoyed it so much. That was the first time we’d left Barcelona, and everything was new to us, so it was a tough period too.
“Not because of an injury or anything like that, but simply because it came that way. But really, I wasn’t at ease in my daily life or in the work I love,” he added.
He contrasted his time in Paris with the happiness and ease he has found since moving to Miami, finding a setup very similar to his life in Castelldefels.
“Here, though, everything is fine. We enjoy the city and our daily life. And as I told you just a moment ago, it’s a life very similar to the one we had in Castelldefels: the club is close by, the kids’ school is very close too, and everything is within reach and comfortable,” he said.
“We live away from downtown, and Miami is truly beautiful, but the traffic there is exhausting,” he added.
Messi on his potential retirement
Messi reiterated his deep passion for competing and his intention to continue playing until his body tells him otherwise.
“I love playing football and competing. I don’t like losing to anyone. Every time I step onto the pitch, I go in with the intention of winning or at least trying. I love the competition, and that was the challenge for me and my teammates who came with me.
“We came to a relatively new club, one that was still growing, and the goal was to make it a competitive club, fighting for titles and on the path to development. And I think we succeeded in that,” he said.
Messi went on to give an overall perspective about his fitness levels and how he will retire at his own pace.
“I’m very happy with what has been achieved during these years. As long as I can play and feel physically well, I’ll continue in the same way—competing, fighting, and always giving my all.
Lionel Messi, Barcelona icon
Messi is happy in Miami. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
“When I feel like my body is no longer helping me or that I’m no longer enjoying it, that will be the right time to stop. But right now, I’m enjoying it and feeling good, and that’s why I keep going,” he added.
Finally, when asked to choose the single happiest moment of his career, Messi admitted it was difficult to pick just one. He notably talked about the sextuple with Pep Guardiola.
“It’s hard for me to choose just one moment. I’ve had the chance to live through many wonderful moments. Usually, when we talk about happiness, we think of titles and achievements and all the great things we’ve accomplished,” he said.
“But the first sextuple with Guardiola was exceptional. And so was the last Champions League with Luis Enrique. I don’t know, it’s hard for me to hold onto just one moment,” he added.
Finally, the Argentine international stated that he is now enjoying reflecting on his career in a way he couldn’t during the pressure of back-to-back seasons:
“In truth, I miss those moments a great deal. Perhaps I enjoy them now more than I did at the time, because back then we were caught up in the whirlwind of back-to-back matches, focusing only on the next game without realising what we were achieving.
“But today, as I look back on all of it with calm and after two years have passed, I relive those memories in a deeper and more beautiful way,” he concluded.