Rakitic Wants Barcelona to Organize a Tribute Match for Messi
Ivan Rakitic and Lionel Messi shared the locker room for many years at Barcelona, where they won a historic treble together. That period created a relationship of great respect between the two, which is why the Croatian midfielder used a recent interview to ask the Catalan club to organize a tribute match for the Argentine, who gave so much to the institution.
The Croatian also sent a message to the current Inter Miami forward, inviting him to continue playing for a few more years. According to Rakitic, enjoying football largely means enjoying Messi, regardless of whether you support Barcelona or the MLS side.
The Context Behind the Tribute Request
These comments come at a time when the club has recently been surrounded by controversy. A few days ago, Xavi Hernández revealed that Joan Laporta was the one who stopped the world champion’s return to Camp Nou in 2023, when the deal seemed practically completed.
According to that version, Laporta did not want to enter into a possible power struggle within the locker room or create tensions in the club’s decision-making process, which is why he ultimately decided to pull back from the attempt to bring Messi back.
A Strained Relationship
Since then, the relationship between Joan Laporta and Lionel Messi has been significantly damaged. For now, the possibility of a tribute match appears distant, although the Barcelona president has said on several occasions that he would like to organize one once the renovations of Camp Nou are fully completed.
The issue also carries a strong political component within the club. Presidential elections at Barcelona are scheduled for March 15, and the comments made by Xavi Hernández shook Laporta’s camp, prompting the president to quickly defend his version of events.
The executive insisted the decision was driven by financial reasons and claimed that Jorge Messi, the player’s father and agent, ultimately informed the club that the move would not be possible and that the preference was to head to Inter Miami.
Laporta also took the opportunity to send a subtle jab at Xavi, pointing out that with the same players now managed by Hansi Flick, the Catalan coach had not achieved the same results as the German manager.
The story between Lionel Messi and Barcelona therefore remains unfinished. However, seeing a tribute match like the one proposed by Ivan Rakitic seems, at least for now, quite unlikely.
