“I follow Barça, I always did and I will continue to do so. It is the club that I love and will love all my life.” Word from Leo Messi who, 14 years after winning his first Ballon d'Or, raised the eighth of his tally in Paris thanks to the World Cup he won with Argentina. The image of that Messi from 2009 when he conquered the first one is far away. “I dedicate it to my family, my brothers and my team,” he said then in a brief 10-second speech, dressed in a tie and a poorly fitted gray suit, with long hair and no beard. 14 years later the styling has improved. But what caught the most attention was the tone of his speech, which included a declaration of love for the club of his life. "It was great. It seems like a weight has been lifted,” Barcelona sources acknowledged in surprise.
Messi left for PSG in the summer of 2021. He never expressed himself like this during his stay in the French capital. “My two years here were not what I expected,” he acknowledged. There he understood that, outside the house, it is very cold. Especially when you don't want to leave.
After the incidents he had with the Parisian fans who threatened him several times, Messi did not even spend the night in Paris after the Ballon d'Or gala. He arrived on Monday and, as soon as the lights went out, he left with his family. back to Miami. His children went to school and he arrived at Inter's morning training session. The team received him with applause, a hall of honor and a huge golden number 8. “I was lucky to win many Ballon d'Ors because at Barcelona I achieved everything at club level. The last two come from the hand of the national team,” he recalled at the press conference after the awards ceremony.
After winning the World Cup, Messi no longer has any outstanding accounts. At least on a sporting level. But he does have others. The nostalgic ones. He would like to return to Barcelona to say goodbye to his club and its fans. "It is my home. I don't see myself as a coach but who knows if he is in another role,” he revealed. He has a thorn in his mind: “I think there was a strange feeling when I left. I deserve to be able to say goodbye to those people. If that tribute is given, I will be delighted to be there.”
President Joan Laporta, who went to Paris to accompany Aitana Bonmatí, listened to him attentively. However, there was no greeting or exchange of words between the star and Laporta on the occasion of the gala. Nor at the Imperial Hotel where they stayed before the gala. “They will find the time to talk about everything. The gala was not the place,” club sources pointed out. Messi confirmed on his social networks that there was no meeting.
And the tribute? The board plans to speak with the player's father and representative, Jorge Messi, to finalize dates for 2024 when, according to the contracts signed with Limak, the new stadium can be opened with 60 percent of its capacity. Laporta's board does not consider that the tribute will be in 2026 when, if the plan is met, the new Camp Nou can open with 100% of its capacity. “There is too much left,” point out the same sources. Laporta's mandate ends in 2025 and, after Messi's traumatic departure, it seems logical to think that Laporta wants to be in the photo. It remains to be seen if the predisposition of Messi, who ended up displeased with Laporta, is the same.
Messi left the gala smiling. And he was photographed with Aitana Bonmatí. “Congratulations on your first Ballon d'Or,” joked the midfielder, a great Barça admirer of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. “As Aitana said, I was lucky to be in the best team in history,” Messi said. 12 hours later, with the gala still in his memory and already in Miami, he published a carousel of images on his social networks. There was no shortage of photos with the best player in the world. From Barcelona, Xavi Hernández, Messi's friend and former teammate, applauded the Argentine's words. And he congratulated him with a message. Messi answered him. The relationship is very good.
“I think this is my last Ballon d'Or,” Messi confessed to France Football. He did it with the smile of someone who has won everything.
