Barcelona legend Carles Puyol want Lionel Messi back to the club next summer as “it’s not too late”.
Carles Puyol, a former teammate of Lionel Messi, asserts that the PSG attacker will “always be welcome” back at Barcelona and that it is “not too late” for him to make a triumphant comeback to the Nou Camp.
Despite changing his mind about leaving, Messi left his beloved Barcelona with heavy heart last summer before signing a lucrative contract with Ligue 1 team PSG. The financially stressed club was compelled to release him from his contract.
The storied attacker is starting to settle in after relocating to the French city after a challenging first season in which he managed just 11 goals in 34 appearances. He has six assists so far this season, which is the joint-best output of any star in the top five leagues in Europe.
Additionally, he has three league goals, which is half of what he scored in the entire Ligue 1 season prior to this one.
Although his fortunes have changed in the French city, since his contract in Paris is about to expire, he is expected to return to Barcelona next summer.
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Puyol, who spent 10 years playing alongside Messi in Barcelona and saw him develop from a teenager into the superstar he is today, thinks a possible comeback is still in the works and that the door would always be open for him if he wants to return to the team.
According to Puyol, a Leo Messi comeback is still possible. His contract has one year left, and a lot may happen during that time.
He will always be accepted at Barca, depending on Xavi and Leo.
In the latter part of the 2000s, Messi and Puyol led Barcelona to one of their most successful teams in recent memory. They dominated LaLiga and shared three Champions League trophies in 2006, 2009, and 2011 while dominating LaLiga.
At the time, Messi played alongside players like Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, and Thierry Henry as they terrorized opponents with their renowned tiki-taka style of play, which Pep Guardiola originally popularized.
With Messi gone, Barcelona now have another superstar leading the line in Robert Lewandowski after signing on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.
Despite scoring 48 goals in 40 games, Messi controversially won the Ballon d’Or in 2021, and Puyol now predicts that the Polish forward will finally win the honor.
Puyol continued, “He is one of the best attackers in the world, and not just because of the goal he has. He can unload, handle the ball, and combine, so perhaps he can take home the Ballon d’Or.
He earned it after his successful years, and now he must win it at Barca. It will be encouraging.
After doing “a very good job” in the transfer market, which saw them bring in Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Marcos Alonso, and Hector Bellerin, Puyol also asserted that his former club will put up more of a fight against Real Madrid for the league title this season.
He declared, “I am certain that Barcelona can compete against Real Madrid one on one.”
“A very excellent job has been done, and now it is up to Xavi, the players, and also the fans,” he said. “It is always easier that way, especially at difficult moments.”
