Lionel Messi Statue To Be Erected At Camp Nou, Says Barcelona President Joan Laporta

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi is set to be immortalized at the Camp Nou.

According to club president Joan Laporta, plans are afoot to build a statue of Messi outside the famous stadium.

Speaking at FC Barcelona's general assembly on Sunday, Laporta said: "We will build a statue of Leo Messi outside the Camp Nou. The decision has been made."

Messi left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021 after the Catalan club could not afford to renew his expensive contract.

But the 35-year-old is still a firm favorite among Barca fans, after a record-breaking couple of decades with the club.

Lionel Messi pictured in tears in August 2021 when he said goodbye to Barcelona in a farewell press conference ahead of his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain

IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Marc Gonzalez Aloma

Messi joined Barca's academy as a teenager and went on to score 672 goals in 778 matches for the first team.

He has made more appearances and scored more goals than any other Barcelona player past or present.

There could yet be another chapter written in Messi's Barcelona story.

His current PSG contract is due to expire in June 2023 when it is rumored that a move back to his beloved Barca could be on the cards.

When asked about the possibility of bringing Messi back, Barca vice-president Eduard Romeu told SPORT last week: "We know how to produce miracles."