Lionel Messi's Instagram picture of his surprise return to Barcelona has already garnered more likes on Instagram than Cristiano Ronaldo's Nations League celebration post. Messi tearfully bid farewell to Camp Nou in 2021 as Barca's crippling financial crisis left them unable to renew his contract, forcing their greatest ever player to walk away from the club he had called home since boyhood.
Messi returns to Barcelona in dead of night
After leaving Barcelona four years ago, Messi has since donned the colours of Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. However, the heart of the Argentine maestro never truly left the Blaugrana. Messi quietly returned on the hallowed turf of a revamped Camp Nou this week. While Argentina’s national team prepares for a friendly clash with Angola on November 14, Messi and Rodrigo De Paul made an unannounced detour, straight to Barcelona. He was granted private access to the newly renovated Camp Nou, now nearing completion after its extensive facelift. The last time Messi played there was May 16, 2021, in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo.
AdvertisementMessi overtakes Ronaldo on Instagram
Messi posted a carousel of pictures on Instagram of his Barcelona return with a caption that read: "Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul. A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world. I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to…💙❤️."
The post has now racked up an astonishing 24.2 million likes at the time of writing, surpassing Ronaldo’s Nations League triumph post, which stands at 23.5 million. From Copa America to the World Cup, Messi has repeatedly shattered records. His 2022 World Cup victory post still reigns as the most-liked Instagram post ever, boasting over 74 million likes.
However, Ronaldo holds the record for the most-liked comment on Instagram history. His cheeky reply to Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid announcement, reading “My turn to watch. Excited to see you light up the Bernabéu. #HalaMadrid”, has gathered over 5 million likes.
Messi’s heartfelt words on returning home
Messi spoke to Spanish outlet revealing the depth of emotion he still feels for the Catalan capital.
"I really want to go back there, we miss Barcelona a lot," he said. "My wife and I, the kids, are constantly talking about Barcelona and the idea of moving back. We have our house there, everything, so that's what we want. 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, and then they moved to Montjuic."
Messi still feels a lingering pain about his unceremonious Barcelona exit and got emotional again while turning back the pages. He said: "I was left with a strange feeling after leaving, because of how everything happened, because I ended up playing my last years without fans, because of the pandemic. After spending my whole life there, I didn't leave the way I imagined, the way I dreamed.
"I imagined, as I said, playing my whole career in Europe, in Barcelona, and then, yes, coming here like I did, because that was my plan, what I wanted. And well, the farewell was a bit strange too, because of the situation, because of everything. But well, I think the fans' affection will always be there, because of what I said, because of everything we've been through."
Getty Images SportA proper Barca farewell awaits Messi
Though a comeback for Barcelona now seems impossible, Inter Miami’s co-owner, Jorge Mas, has promised to give Messi a fitting send-off in Catalonia.
"Messi's departure from Barcelona was not to his liking, he could not say goodbye to his club that welcomed him as a child, and I think the circumstances were not what Lionel wanted," he said. "I gave him my commitment that I will do everything possible in the coming years to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to his fans in Barcelona. Inter Miami will go or we will do some kind of match."
Messi’s contract extension with Inter Miami keeps him in Major League Soccer until 2028, taking him past his 40th birthday and is tipped to feature for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, where the Albiceleste will be looking to defend their crown.
