The echoes of Lionel Messi’s name once again filled the air at Camp Nou — or what remains of it for now. As Barcelona fans finally stepped back into their partially renovated stadium for the first time in over two years, president Joan Laporta reignited a promise that supporters have waited years to hear fulfilled: a grand tribute to the greatest player in the club’s history.
Barcelona’s long-awaited return to Camp Nou finally feels real. After more than two years away, fans and players once again stepped onto the sacred grass of their home — albeit surrounded by cranes, scaffolding, and half-finished stands. For a few hours on Friday morning, it wasn’t about construction deadlines or finances; it was about nostalgia and renewal, about the first glimpse of the future.
In the stands, thousands of supporters chanted as Lamine Yamal and his teammates took part in an open training session — the first event at the half-finished stadium since the remodeling began in 2023. Among them, Joan Laporta watched proudly as history repeated itself in a new form.
The day began with emotion. More than 21,000 fans paid between $5.7 and $11.5 to attend the open session — a symbolic price for a symbolic moment. Laporta called it “a historic day”, describing the sight of fans back at Camp Nou as “a collective dream that has come true.” The Catalan club currently holds a provisional license allowing 27,000 fans to enter the stadium, but hopes to expand that number to 45,000 later this month. “We hope to return fully on November 22 against Athletic Club,” he revealed, before adding cautiously, “That depends on the final approval. But we are ready.”
From a sporting perspective, this marks a crucial turning point. Barcelona has been exiled at the Olympic Stadium since 2023, but the return home could reignite a connection between players and fans that was lost in the years of transition. Yet, amid the construction dust and nostalgia, the club president’s words hinted at something more profound — a moment of closure the entire world has been waiting for.
Laporta’s long-awaited plan for Lionel Messi
Midway through his remarks, Laporta revealed Barcelona’s long-term plan: a grand tribute to Lionel Messi at the fully completed Spotify Camp Nou, once it reaches its new 105,000-seat capacity.
The event, he explained, will not take place until the stadium’s full reopening in 2026, when construction is finally finished and the new Camp Nou can be inaugurated in style. “Of course, I would love that,” Laporta said. “It would be a beautiful way to express our gratitude and recognition. Once the stadium reaches its new capacity, we can organize the tribute he and the club truly deserve.”
According to Mundo Deportivo, the idea is for a massive tribute match — a symbolic reunion between Messi and the club that defined his career. The event would serve not only as a celebration but also as the emotional reconciliation between the Argentine icon and the president whose decisions in 2021 forced his painful exit.
Laporta went further, saying he would be “honored to lead that tribute to Messi at Camp Nou”, but admitted the event could coincide with Barcelona’s next presidential elections, scheduled between March and June 2026. “I don’t know if I will still be president then,” he said with a smile, “but if I am, it would be an honor.”
Barcelona President Joan Laporta and Lionel Messi
The farewell that never happened
Messi’s departure in August 2021 remains one of the most emotional episodes in Barcelona’s modern history. Fans never got to say goodbye; one day, their captain was simply gone — driven out by financial collapse and La Liga’s salary rules.
If all goes to plan, Barca’s grand reopening and Messi’s tribute will happen in late 2026, when the Spotify Camp Nou is fully complete. The$1.7 billion renovation will turn it into Europe’s largest and most modern football arena, a fitting stage for a player whose magic
