Despite his success with Inter Miami, Barcelona fans might expect to see Lionel Messi back at Camp Nou within the next two years.
Messi, who signed with Inter Miami this summer instead of Barcelona, will return to the Catalan city to say goodbye to his most devoted supporters, according to Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas.
Although it appeared that he would only sign with one of the two teams, Mas has revealed to Club del Deportista (via MD) that there was intense rivalry for his services.
“There was a lot of competition for the title of top player in the world, obviously. Not just with PSG’s desired rebirth, the prospect of returning to Barcelona, and Saudi Arabia’s proposals. I’ll be honest, there were some hectic months full with meetings in Rosario, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Miami, and Doha.
“Did I notice that the procedure was in jeopardy? Definitely. There was a lot riding on it. I don’t think Lionel wanted to leave Barcelona under such circumstances; he couldn’t bear to say goodbye to the club that had taken him in as a youngster.
Inter Miami’s proposal was superior since it benefited from four years of development.
Rarely is an athlete given the chance to alter the course of an entire sport in a country, but your son will have that chance. I was in frequent touch with Jorge [Messi]. It took 4.5 years of convincing to get Lionel to make a family decision. I never stopped believing. I knew Lionel Messi was coming; I foresaw a fantastic opportunity after the World Cup and in January or February to seal the deal.
Mas, though, has promised that Messi will return to Barcelona within the next two years.
I promised him that in the following years, “Inter Miami will go or we will have some kind of match,” and that he would be able to say farewell to his supporters in Barcelona.
One of the great tragedies is that Messi left Barcelona playing in front of an almost empty Camp Nou, with president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, assuring him he would continue with the Blaugrana. If Messi doesn’t make a surprise comeback to European football, this may be his last chance to play at Camp Nou.
