Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has said he misses Barcelona as part of an interview to mark the club’s 125th anniversary on Friday.
Messi first joined Barça as a teenager in 2000 and spent 21 years at the club, going on to become the all-time leading appearance maker and goal scorer with 672 goals in 778 games.
“Congratulations to Barça on their 125th anniversary,” Messi said in an interview with TV3 which aired to coincide with the day the Swiss-born Joan Gamper founded the club at a gymnasium in the city 1899.
“It’s an honour to be part of the club, to be a Barça fan. I am lucky that God led me there and I was able to spend most of my life at such a wonderful club.
“It’s a special club, different to the rest, with the difficulties that poses at the moment, given how things are managed in football these days.
“They changed everything and today the club is represented in the way we want. We like the first team, we’re hugely proud [to see the youngsters there].
“I miss the club a lot, the city, the people, the affection … And, as always, I hope things keep going well and we can keep making this great club even greater.”
Since their founding 125 years ago, Barça have won a combined total of 36 LaLiga and Liga F titles and eight UEFA Champions League crowns across their men’s and women’s teams.
Messi was part of 10 of those LaLiga titles and four Champions League successes before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
The 37-year-old named 2009 — when Barça won LaLiga, the Champions League, Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Supercopa and the Club World Cup — as his highlight at the club.
“The year we won the six trophies,” Messi said when asked for his best moment. “You enjoy every day, training, games … going out to play and knowing how the games would end.
“We had so much confidence that we were going to win. It was a year I really enjoyed and I think everyone else did, too.”
Barça will mark their anniversary with a special gala at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, just off La Rambla in the city, on Friday. Around 2,000 people have been invited to the event, many with links to the club’s storied past.
First team coach Hansi Flick and his players will be among those present. The German manager, who took charge in the summer, says he can already see the reason Barça’s motto is ‘Més que un club’ (More than a club).
“This club is amazing, it’s really unbelievable,” Flick said in a news conference on Friday.
“Since I arrived I said it, it has impressed me a lot all the things here. Now, some days later, my coaching staff, we can really work in freedom, they do everything what we need. It’s a really good situation.
“All the fans, when I walk through the street, it’s amazing how they speak with me, how they are very kind about us, about my team, my colleagues and me. It’s really a pleasure to be here, to work for this club. And it’s more than a club, yes, I can say that.
“It’s a big honour to be a Barça coach. I know really well the history of this amazing club. We will be at the celebration today, also the players are there, and we can get a feeling about that.”
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