Leo Messi: "I'm really looking forward to returning to Barcelona"

BarcelonaAfter Leo Messi stepped onto the Camp Nou pitch for the first time on Sunday, new words of love from the Argentine towards Barça and Catalonia have surfaced this Tuesday. Two weeks ago, the Barça legend gave an interview to the newspaper Sport before his brief return to the Catalan capital. The conversation was published this Tuesday. 24 hours after the Argentine star made a surprise appearance The new Barça stadium. After being asked repeatedly about Barcelona, ​​the best player in history explains that he is "very eager" to return and that he and his family miss the city a lot. "My wife, my children, and I talk constantly about things in Barcelona. The idea is to move back," he says.

Messi also spoke about his departure from the club. "I was left with a strange feeling after leaving, because of how everything happened, because of how things have been in recent years: without fans in the stands because of the pandemic. After a lifetime in Barcelona, ​​I didn't leave the way I imagined, the way I dreamed. I imagined, as I said, playing my entire career in Europe at Barça," he explained. "The farewell was also a bit strange, because of the situation, because of everything. But well, I think the affection of the fans will always be there, because of what I said, because of everything we've experienced," recalls Messi, who still hasn't forgiven President Joan Laporta for not being able to renew his contract with Barça as he had promised in 2021.

The current Inter Miami player, with whom he has a contract until 2028, also reminisced about some of his best moments at Barça. "It's difficult to pick just one moment. Thank God I was lucky enough to experience many. I don't know, generally when we talk about happiness we think about titles, successes, the important things we've achieved. But the first sextuple with Guardiola was extraordinary, and the last Champions League with Luis Enrique too." I don't know, it's difficult.

In December, he will stop playing alongside Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, because both of them, teammates at Inter Miami, will retire: "The truth is, it was very strange, especially Jordi [Alba]'s situation, because we weren't expecting it. With Busquets, we were talking about it more, but we were already discussing it, we were already talking about it, we were already talking about it, we were already talking about it, we were already talking about it, we were already talking about it, we were already thinking about it, we weren't expecting it. One day he came up to us in the locker room and told us that he was going to announce it, that he was retiring, without having spoken or discussed it beforehand. It was from one day to the next, and it was even more surprising."

He still has some time left and wants to play in the World Cup this summer, although he hasn't taken it for granted yet. "Yes, obviously I'm excited, it's a World Cup. It's special to play with the national team, especially in important, official competitions, and even more so because of what a World Cup means, particularly after having won it. But I don't want to be, quote-unquote, a burden; I want to feel good physically, to be sure that I can help and contribute to the group. We'll have a preseason in between, a few matches before the World Cup dates, and we'll have to see how things go day by day, if I really feel physically fit enough to be where I'd like to be and be able to participate."