Lionel Messi discovered himself to be the battleground between presidential candidates for FC Barcelona after rumours of his return had been shot down.
Lionel Messi returned to Camp Nou forward of the stadium’s re-opening to the general public.(Getty Images)
Speaking following Messi’s shock look in Barcelona, the membership’s institutional vice-president Elena Fort turned down rumours of the under-renovation stadium being named after the Argentinian star.
Speaking to Cadena SER radio in Spain, Fort mentioned of questions concerning the historic Camp Nou being named after Messi: “There was an try to call it after (Joan) Gamper, who’s the founder, and the Barcelona followers themselves didn’t settle for it. There are some ways, higher methods, to pay tribute to him.”
Earlier, membership president Joan Laporta had acknowledged that the membership deliberate to start preparations for a statue to be constructed for Messi, who represented Barca 520 occasions in his profession.
“He ought to have a statue on the Spotify Camp Nou, like Cruyff and Kubala,” Laporta had mentioned. “It could be solely truthful if Leo had his statue as effectively. He is a type of reference gamers who’ve marked us all.”
‘Having a statue may be very brief…’
However, this had obtained some criticism from Barcelona followers, who thought the participant deserved extra as he’s thought of not solely the perfect in Barca’s historical past, but additionally the perfect footballer within the historical past of the game.
However, the statements made this week by Fort and Laporta had been battled in opposition to by Victor Font, who is taken into account to be Laprota’s most important rival within the race for Barcelona’s membership presidency. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Font had mentioned: “We must embrace Leo Messi and do every little thing potential… Having a statue may be very brief.”
Messi left Barcelona in 2021, making his approach to Paris Saint Germain earlier than making the jump over the Atlantic Ocean, the place he plies his commerce for Inter Miami within the MLS. Since, Messi has gone on to win the elusive World Cup trophy which had evaded him, profitable in Qatar in 2022. He can be in focus once more as North America prepares to host the 2026 version of the event.
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