Cairo, Egypt – Argentine Lionel Messi revealed his desire to return to life in Barcelona again, and his stance on the 2026 World Cup.
Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021, heading to Paris Saint-Germain in France, after a 20-year journey with the Catalan team.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, Messi said: “All the memories that come to me from Barcelona and from that period we lived there always evoke in me a little nostalgia and a lot of emotion.”
He added: “I miss those moments a lot, and perhaps I enjoy them more now than I did when they happened, because of the pace of daily life back then and what it meant to play one game after another and think about the next one without being able to enjoy what we were achieving. Today, as I look back on them calmly and relaxed from afar after a few years, I experience them more deeply.”
He continued: “I had a strange feeling after leaving because of the way everything happened, and because I finished my last years of playing without fans due to Corona. After all the life I lived there, I didn’t leave as I imagined and as I dreamed. I imagined playing my entire European career at Barcelona, and the moment of saying goodbye was also a bit strange because of the circumstances and everything that happened, but I think the affection of the people will always remain because of everything we went through together.”
He continued: “I think I spent 16 years with the first team, and maybe 20 or 21 years in Barcelona. I arrived at the age of 12, so it was a long time and a lot happened in my life, and that’s why the emotion always remains there.”
He added, “In football, new players always emerge, but history doesn’t forget, not just me, but everyone who has been to the club. There are many who have contributed to helping the club become bigger.”
Messi: It’s difficult to pinpoint my happiest moments at Barcelona
Regarding the happiest moments he experienced in Barcelona, he said: “It is difficult to choose one moment to be the happiest with Barcelona. Thank God I was lucky enough to experience many moments. Usually when we talk about happiness we think of titles, but the first sextuple with Guardiola was exceptional, and the last Champions League with Luis Enrique as well. It is difficult to choose one moment.”
He continued: “Of course, I still follow Barcelona, and some of us are together now at Inter Miami, discussing the situations at the club and the results.”
Argentina star reveals when he will retire from football
Regarding when he will stop playing football and announce his retirement: “I am happy with my years on the pitch, and as long as I am physically able, I will continue in the same way – trying to compete and win. The moment I feel that it is difficult for me to continue on the pitch or that I am not enjoying it, that will be the end time. But today I am enjoying myself and I feel good.”
On the 2026 World Cup, the former Barcelona star said: “The World Cup will be special because we’ll be playing in it after winning it, but as I said before, I don’t want to be a burden. I want to feel physically fit and confident that I can contribute and add value to the team.”
He added: “Our season is different from the European season, and we will have a pre-season period in the middle and a few matches before the World Cup, so we will see if I am in a physical condition that allows me to participate or not. I am excited but I am taking it calmly.”
“I want to go to Barcelona because we miss the city so much, and my children and wife talk about living there again. I’m really looking forward to going back to the stadium when it’s finished, because since I left for Paris I haven’t been back to Camp Nou either, and then they moved to Montjuïc. It will be strange to go back to the new stadium and see it, because the last time I saw it was a long time ago, and it will be emotional to relive those moments and remember everything that was, even though it will be different.”
