Lionel Messi’s recent unexpected return to the Spotify Camp Nou has sent Barcelona into a whirlwind of nostalgia, debate, and renewed hope — and Sergio Busquets, his former teammate in Catalonia and now at Inter Miami, has stepped forward with a response that carries far more weight than it first appears. His reaction, hinted only through a mysterious five-word message, adds yet another layer to a night that stunned both the club and supporters across the world.
Messi’s unannounced appearance came as Barcelona slowly rebuilds its home, while Busquets prepares for the closing stage of his own storied career. Yet their stories — and their bond — remain inseparable, the past resurfacing at the very moment the city least expected it.
It was close to midnight when Lionel Messi arrived at the Camp Nou, asking security from the construction firm for permission to step inside the stadium where he forged his legend. The club’s board, returning from an away win at Celta Vigo, was caught completely off guard. Still, the decision was immediate.
As the club stated, “You’ll always be welcome home, Leo.” The Argentine, visibly emotional during his solitary walk across the half-rebuilt arena, then wrote a heartfelt message on Instagram: “I returned to a place I miss deeply… I hope one day I can return — not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never could…”
His unplanned visit revived the sentimental wounds of 2021, the year his departure shocked world soccer, but it also rekindled the unbreakable connection between the Argentine and the city he still calls home.
What did Sergio Busquets say?
While the spotlight fell heavily on Messi, Sergio Busquets — days away from the final matches of his own career — addressed the moment from Inter Miami’s training fields. Speaking as a friend, former teammate, and current colleague of the Argentine, Busquets delivered a deeply felt reflection: “As his teammate at Barca, at Inter, and as a friend of Leo, we all know what he has meant to Barca, to all the Barca fans.”
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Javier Mascherano playing for Barcelona.
He added that Messi’s continued connection to Barcelona is “a source of pride.” And then, for the first time, he revealed his reaction to the visit, “As the president has said, he will always be welcome”. Those five words — “He will always be welcome“ — echo Laporta’s message. However, coming from the Spanish veteran who lived every chapter of the Messi era, they strike far deeper. They feel definitive, almost like a blessing from inside Messi’s own soccer family.
