Messi also expressed his desire to again play a match in the venue where he shined for most of his storied career.
“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with my soul,” Messi said in an Instagram post on Monday, Nov. 10.
“It’s a place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel like the happiest person in the world a thousand times over. I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do…”
Messi shared several photos of himself inside and outside the stadium for the rare visit, just days after helping Inter Miami advance in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Messi arrived in Spain where he will train with the Argentine national team during this week’s FIFA international window. Argentina will visit Angola for a friendly in the African country on Friday, Nov. 14.
Inter Miami’s next match is on the road against FC Cincinnati in the MLS Cup conference semifinals on Nov. 23.
Messi, 38, never got the opportunity to have a proper farewell match when he abruptly left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta hinted at the idea of a Messi tribute match in the venue, expected to re-open later this year after ongoing renovations since 2023.
“It would be a great way to open the stadium [when it’s completely finished], with 105,000 packed in and paying tribute to Leo,” Laporta said as the stadium re-opened for a testing event on Nov. 7.
Messi is Barcelona’s all-time leader with 672 goals in 778 appearances, winning 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crows with the club from 2004-21.
Messi, likely to be named back-to-back MLS MVP, recently signed a contract extension with Inter Miami through the end of the 2028 MLS season.