November was a pretty special month for Barcelona fans as club legend Lionel Messi made an eyebrow-raising return to the ground where he conquered the world of football and then some.
In the second week of November 2025, Messi paid a visit to the shiny new Spotify Camp Nou ground, taking in the sights. But his visit came with one major question. How did the Argentine icon visit the ground undetected without a legion of fans trailing him all the way?
Barcelona Chief Joan Laporta Explains Lionel Messi’s Unexplained Visit
Joan Laporta took a moment to explain how Messi’s visit came about from start to finish.
According to the club chief, Messi landed outside the stadium and simply asked for permission from the staff overseeing the stadium’s renovation. The security staff at Spotify Camp Nou then notified the club executives, who wasted no time in letting Messi in. “Lionel Messi will always be welcome in his home,” was the message.
“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” the serial Ballon d’Or winner wrote on Instagram later that day.
Messi’s visit was well-timed as well. The club’s leading goalscorer landed at the home of the Blaugrana mere hours after Hansi Flick’s team beat Celta Vigo in a win that brought them within three points of touching distance to Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings.
The club officially reopened the stadium to fans on Friday that week, staging an open training session with close to 22,000 fans in attendance.
In an interview with La2CAT, Laporta made a few more promises and sent some flowery words Messi’s way.
“In 125 years of the club’s history, Messi’s moment is one of the most glorious, if not the most glorious. He must have recognition. He is someone linked to Barca who has more projection. He has given a lot to Barca, and Barca a lot to him. Hopefully, we will meet again. It depends on the other party, I am willing to fix anything… with a tribute, a statue.”
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For now, Messi will take it easy and recharge after leading Inter Miami to the MLS Cup. His MLS Cup winners are far from done, too.
The club renewed Luis Suarez’s contract for another year, keeping him in sunny Miami until the end of the 2026 MLS season. They also signed former Tottenham Hotspur fullback Sergio Reguilon on a two-year deal, adding further reinforcements to an already strong squad.