Vice president of Barcelona Rafael Yuste said on Friday during a press conference that the club have begun talks for a possible return for World Cup winner Lionel Messi.
Yuste revealed that the Catalan giants and Messi’s father, who is also his representative, have held preliminary discussions for a possible return of the Argentinian forward to the club where he spent most of his career.
“I participated in the negotiations that sadly weren’t successful. I am still frustrated that Leo [Messi] couldn’t continue playing for this club. If we talk about the Masia academy and youth players, we are talking about Leo,” he said.
“He [Messi] arrived here when he was 12 years old. Of course, I would love to have him back. I say this personally. But I think many of our supporters would love that too, for everything he would represent if he came back.
“It is not only on a sporting, economic and social level, among other issues, but also because I think that all beautiful stories must have a happy ending. And answering your question, my answer is Yes…we are in contact with them,” the 61-year-old administrator added.
Messi, who arrived at Barcelona as a teenager in 2001, joined the club’s famed La Masia youth academy, and made his first-team debut in 2003 as a 16-year-old, before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after about 20 years at the club.
The 35-year-old won six Ballon d’Or awards during his time at Barcelona and led the club to 10 Spanish league titles and four Champions League trophies. He holds the most individual records at the club, scoring 634 goals and providing 276 assists in 731 appearances.
