It was a case of so near yet so far for Barcelona when trying to persuade Lionel Messi to rejoin the club of his life.
That he moved to Inter Miami instead, turning down a monumental offer believed to be in the region of over €1bn for two seasons in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal, will be of little consequence to Joan Laporta and his board.
It will absolutely hurt that the Catalan club knew that the player wanted to return to them but, ultimately, took another career path because Barca’s current financial predicament.
That meant he couldn’t risk a repeat of 2021 when he expected to sign a new deal at the club, only to be told he had to leave.
It set in motion a quick-fire move to Paris Saint-Germain, with his association at the Ligue Un club ending this summer at the conclusion of his contract.
Despite knowing that their plans for a romantic ending to Messi’s career has been blown to smithereens, Barca still have big plans for their former number 10 and talisman.
According to ESPN, the club are planning a huge tribute to the Argentinian World Cup winner when the Spotify Camp Nou reopens for business at the start of, or during, the 2024/25 La Liga campaign.
“I agreed with them [Messi’s family] to pay tribute [to Messi],” Laporta was quoted as saying in an interview with Esport3.
“The opening day of the Spotify Camp Nou would be an excellent date.”