Barcelona president Joan Laporta plans to erect a statue of Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou as part of a tribute he wants to give to the legendary player.

Messi, 38, made an unannounced visit on Sunday to Barça's stadium, ahead of joining up with the Argentina squad in Spain.

He posted images on social media alongside a caption saying he hoped to "return for the goodbye I never got to say as a player."

"Messi deserves the tribute at Can Barça, the most beautiful in the world, and also, along with the board of directors and his teammates, we always think that more has to be done for Messi," Laporta said on Friday during the presentation of a book about La Masia, Barça's youth academy.

"I think Messi should have a statue at Camp Nou. If [Ladislao] Kubala and [Johan] Cruyff also hav

See Full Page