Barcelona are already working on the final details for the partial opening of Spotify Camp Nou this August, but the focus is set further ahead. The main goal is to officially inaugurate the stadium at one hundred percent with a historic event that unites all Barcelona fans. To achieve this, Joan Laporta has a clear idea: to honor Lionel Messi like never before.
The board has spent months imagining what that day should be like. It would be a unique celebration to open the 2026/27 season, when the stadium is fully completed. Meanwhile, according to club sources, the intention is for the star of the night to be the best player in the club's history.
Leo Messi never had a farewell worthy of a legend of his stature. The 2021 goodbye took place in the middle of the pandemic, without fans and with a bitter press conference as the last memory. That event was etched in the memory of Barcelona fans as an open wound, which the club now wants to close forever.
The most desired return for all Barcelona fans
The club considers the tribute to Messi an outstanding debt. After nearly twenty years writing the brightest pages in Barcelona's history, he left without embracing Camp Nou. His departure to Paris was cold, forced, and without the warmth of his own people.
Since then, the Argentine has expressed in multiple interviews his eternal love for Barça. He always made it clear that he never intended to leave in that way. That's why Laporta and his team believe this could be the perfect occasion to seal that symbolic reconciliation.
According to RAC1, the club hasn't made a formal proposal yet, but the project is very much alive internally. All the club's leaders agree that the first major event at the new Spotify Camp Nou must be unforgettable. There's no one better than Leo Messi to lead that historic moment.
First date: Gamper with limited capacity and gradual opening
Before the grand opening, Barça already plans a first symbolic return to the stadium. It'll be on August 10, with the Joan Gamper Trophy held before a reduced crowd of only 25,000 people (25,000 personas). An emotional reunion after months of construction and matches away from the temple.
As September progresses, the capacity is expected to reach 60,000 spectators (60,000) for the first home league match. The club's forecast is that by the start of the 2026/27 season, the stadium will be at one hundred percent, with capacity to exceed 100,000 attendees (100,000). That's when the definitive gala would take place.
Barça wants to mark a turning point with that ceremony. It'll be much more than soccer: spectacle, emotion, and a look back at the club's history from its most sacred place. There's no better symbol than Messi to ignite that new era, whether he's wearing the Barcelona jersey or not.
The dreamed return is on the table: Leo Messi could be the face of the new Camp Nou's inauguration. The board already has the plan, the fans desire it, and the stadium is waiting to experience a magical night that settles the great outstanding debt with its greatest idol.