Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s advisor Enric Masip believes club legend Lionel Messi deserves a fitting tribute at the renovated Camp Nou Stadium. He also opined that the Argentine icon was “the greatest player of all time.”.
During a recent appearance on the Sergio Gonzalez Show, Masip made Barcelona’s intention clear when asked about a possible tribute match for Lionel Messi. He said (via Barca Universal):
Lionel Messi is arguably the best player to have donned the Barcelona colors. A product of the famed academy La Masia, Messi was a huge part of La Blaugrana’s golden era, helping the Catalan club win a plethora of trophies, including the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga.
In the 2014-15 season, Barcelona’s financial condition began to deteriorate, and it kept getting worse until the summer of 2021 when Messi’s contract was set to expire. As they couldn’t resolve their financial issues before his contract ran out, the Argentine maestro left the club against his own will.
He left Barca as their all-time top scorer, with 672 goals in 778 games across competitions.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but he found it difficult to settle in the French capital. He left the Ligue 1 club after two seasons and signed a two-year deal with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
The diminutive legend will turn 38 in June, and several reports have linked him with a return to Barcelona to end his career.
Lionel Messi has named his header against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final while representing Barca as the favorite goal of his career. It was the Messi’s first goal in a UCL final as La Blaugrana defeated United 2-0 at Stadio Olimpico.
On Thursday (May 22), Messi said (via ESPN):
Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or titles — eight.
An ardent Chelsea fan, Ezekiel’s journey as a football fan began in his childhood, witnessing Ronaldinho dazzle with his skills. His interest in the beautiful game deepened after Nigeria were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he was impressed with the Super Eagles’ fighting spirit in their 2-2 Group B draw against South Korea. Some other World Cup matches which have left a deep impact on him were Belgium’s incredible comeback against Japan in the round of 16 of the 2018 version and the 2022 final.
Lionel Messi is the one true GOAT for Ezekiel and he also follows the Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League owing to him and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he spends his free time deepening his SEO knowledge and watching skits.
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