When Lionel Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021, even the most stoic fans believed it was just a “see you later.” The Argentine, who had given two decades of his life to the Catalan giant, always hinted that his story at Camp Nou was unfinished. And for a brief, electrifying moment in 2023, that fairytale seemed within reach again — until it wasn’t.
The dream of seeing Messi return to Barcelona under Joan Laporta’s presidency had everything: mutual desire, public hints, and private negotiations. Yet it all ended in heartbreak, leaving Messi, in his own words, “deeply disappointed” and “ready to move on for good.” What went wrong inside the club that once defined his career remains one of soccer’s most emotionally charged mysteries.
After his forced departure in 2021, the Argentine spent two uneasy seasons with Paris Saint-Germain. Despite domestic success, his time in France was strained — the adaptation difficult, the environment cold, and the connection absent.
Then came the turning point. Following his historic World Cup victory with Argentina in December 2022, Messi reached out to Xavi Hernandez, then Barcelona’s manager, to discuss a possible return. Mundo Deportivo revealed that on January 6, 2023, contact was made, and the following day, the club’s top brass “got to work on making it happen.”
For six months, the club worked tirelessly to navigate La Liga’s strict financial fair play rules, while the superstar agreed to a significant wage cut to make the deal viable. Behind the scenes, Laporta himself reportedly spoke to La Liga officials to seek approval. Eventually, it came. Everything pointed toward the homecoming that the soccer world was waiting for.
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Deceived and betrayed when the dream collapsed
Then, just as the finish line appeared within reach, the story took a cruel twist. According to Catalan journalist Xavier Bosch, the day after the Blaugrana lifted the 2022-23 La Liga trophy, Messi’s family received a call from the club’s highest level, informing them that “the transfer couldn’t be done.” What followed, the outlet reported, was “total devastation” in the Messi camp.
Messi felt that Laporta had “deceived and betrayed him for the second time” — the first being his emotional exit in 2021, when the club failed to renew his deal despite public assurances that it would.
The sense of betrayal ran deep. Laporta’s decision to suddenly pull the plug — citing ongoing financial instability — left both Messi and Xavi stunned. The manager reportedly demanded an explanation, further straining his relationship with the president. For Messi, it was the final confirmation that his playing days in Barcelona were over.
Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona faces the media during a press conference at Nou Camp on August 08, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain.
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Messi’s side: ‘I wanted to return home’
In a heartfelt interview with Simplemente Futbol, Messi explained his disappointment plainly. “After the World Cup in 2022, I could not see myself playing for another European team other than Barca,” he said. “My goal was always to return. I wanted to return home, back where it all began. But unfortunately, that just was not possible.”
The move to Inter Miami in 2023, where he has since signed an extension through 2028, became not just a sporting decision but an emotional escape. Even Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, echoed that sentiment in an interview with Globo Esporte. “Messi’s story is so great that maybe there are no repetitions. Maybe he wanted to go to Miami, where he could be happy again. Sometimes it’s about personal peace.”
