Inter Miami prepared to grant Lionel Messi the Barcelona farewell he never had

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas insists that the club will do “everything possible” to arrange a match against Barcelona to allow Lionel Messi to fianlly say goodbye to the Catalan club’s fans. Messi left the team before the season started in the summer of 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain, meaning he was unable to bid fans a final farewell after almost two decades of service.

Messi joined Barcelona at the age of 13 and was enrolled in the club’s fabled ‘La Masia’ youth academy where he quickly rose up the ranks. 18 years later the Argentine managed to win almost every trophy and individual accolade possible, including seven Ballon d’Or awards, four Champions League titles, ten LaLiga championships and seven Spanish cups.

Amid the club’s financial troubles, Messi sought a move to PSG and took part in an emotional press conference announcing his departure, but was unable to enjoy a proper send-off in front of the fans at Camp Nou. This is something that Inter Miami’s co-owner hopes to rectify with the World Cup winner now plying his trade in MLS.

Speaking in an interview with El Club del Deportista, Mas vowed that he “will do everything possible in the coming years so that he has the opportunity to say goodbye to his fans in Barcelona.”

“Messi’s departure from Barcelona [in 2021] was not to his liking,” Mas said. “He could not say goodbye to his club, which welcomed him as a child, and I think the circumstances were not what Lionel wanted.”

When asked how Miami would grant Messi’s wish, Mas added: “Inter Miami will go [there] or we will play some kind of game.”

The report goes on to suggest that the game could be played as part of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy – a friendly game that kicks off the start of the new season in August. The fixture would be played at Barcelona’s iconic, and newly rennovated, stadium to provide the perfect setting for his return.

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Mas also revealed how the signing of Messi to Inter Miami materialised. “I always aspired to sign Leo,” he said. “Everyone told me I was crazy to think he would come to Inter Miami.

“What better than the best player in the world coming to Miami, where he could enjoy [life] with his wife, with his children. In 2019, I arranged a meeting with Jorge Messi. There David Beckham and I explained the Miami project to Jorge for three hours. I said, ‘Your son will have the opportunity to create a new legacy because he’s going to be able to change a sport in a country,’ and that rarely happens to an athlete.

“I kept in touch with Jorge constantly. It was four and a half years of convincing Lionel to decide with his family. I never lost faith. I was convinced that Lionel Messi was going to arrive. I saw that there was a great possibility after the World Cup, and in January or February [the possibility to] close something.”

Miami are next in action when they play Chicago Fire FC on Thursday but are expected to be without Messi, who is currently sidelined with an injury. The team are currently four points off the playoff places with four games remaining.

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