Lionel Messi to miss Barcelona anniversary

Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi won’t be able to attend the 125th anniversary celebrations of Barcelona, his former club. He was invited for the event set to take place on November 29 (Friday) a fortnight ago. However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Argentine won’t be present at the event due to his prior commitments. Reportedly, Messi has recorded an interview that will be played at the event even though he won’t be attending it in person. For the unversed, the 37-year-old became what he is today at Camp Nou from 2014 to 2021.

He featured in La Liga for Barcelona in 243 matches and netted a staggering 231 goals while providing assists in 95 goals as well. Messi also made 63 appearances for the club in the UEFA Champions League scoring 53 goals. He won 35 trophies as well as six Ballon d’Ors during his stint with Barcelona. But in 2021, he left the Catalan giants due to financial trouble at the club before joining Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) for a couple of seasons. After leaving PSG, he signed up with Inter Miami and has been playing in MLS since 2023.

The anniversary celebrations would’ve marked Messi’s first return to Barcelona since leaving the club in 2021. Interestingly, the club had tried to sign the attacker again after his contract with PSG expired. However, due to financial issues with the club, Messi chose to sign up with David Beckham’s Inter Miami.

When will Messi next be in action?

Messi’s current season with Inter Miami in MLS has ended and he recently turned up for Argentina on November 20 in the World Cup Qualifier clash against Peru. However, he is enjoying a nice break and is gearing up for another MLS with the same club next year in mid-February. However, arguably the GOAT of football was in excellent form for his team this year. In 22 appearances at the MLS this season, Messi netted 21 goals and assisted in 11. This performance is in complete contrast to the last edition when he scored only one goal in six outings. 

As far as Barcelona is concerned, they are on top of the La Liga standings with 11 wins and two losses in 13 matches with 33 points to their name. They are set to face Celta Vigo tomorrow (November 24) at 1:30 AM IST.