Messi spoke to Spanish outlet SPORT, revealing the depth of emotion he still feels for the Catalan capital.
“I really want to go back there, we miss Barcelona a lot,” he said. “My wife and I, the kids, are constantly talking about Barcelona and the idea of moving back. We have our house there, everything, so that’s what we want. I’m really looking forward to going back to the stadium when it’s finished because since I left for Paris, I haven’t been back to Camp Nou, and then they moved to Montjuic.”
Messi still feels a lingering pain about his unceremonious Barcelona exit and got emotional again while turning back the pages. He said: “I was left with a strange feeling after leaving, because of how everything happened, because I ended up playing my last years without fans, because of the pandemic. After spending my whole life there, I didn’t leave the way I imagined, the way I dreamed.
“I imagined, as I said, playing my whole career in Europe, in Barcelona, and then, yes, coming here like I did, because that was my plan, what I wanted. And well, the farewell was a bit strange too, because of the situation, because of everything. But well, I think the fans’ affection will always be there, because of what I said, because of everything we’ve been through.”