Barcelona legend Lionel Messi returning to the club is “unrealistic,” president Joan Laporta admitted on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Argentine, who now plays for Inter Miami, made a surprise visit to Barcelona’s Camp Nou on Sunday night, telling fans he hoped that “one day I can return — and not just to say goodbye as a player, since I never got to do that.”

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Barça’s all-time leading scorer and appearance maker, left the club in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain after two decades, when the Catalan giants’ financial troubles made it impossible to renew his contract.

“Out of the utmost respect for Messi, for the professionals at the club, for Barça, and for our members, I believe that making speculation that is unrealistic would not be fair or appropriate,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio.

Laporta, who was president at the time of Messi’s emotional departure, said he has no regrets, insisting that “Barça is above everything.”

However, the president confirmed plans to organise a tribute match for Messi once the reconstructed Camp Nou is fully reopened.

“Things didn’t end the way we would have liked,” Laporta said. “If, in some way, this tribute can make up for what wasn’t done, I think it would be a good thing. He deserves the best farewell match in the world, and it would be wonderful to have it here, in front of 105,000 fans.”

Laporta described Messi’s unannounced visit to the stadium as a “spontaneous act of love” toward the club that shaped his career.

Messi is currently in Spain with the Argentina national team, who are training ahead of a friendly match against Angola.