Rodrigo De Paul: “Before we flew to Argentina, Leo suddenly said with that calm smile: ‘De Paul, first we’ll pass through Barcelona… I want to see Camp Nou.’ I thought he was joking — but he wasn’t.

We took a private jet from Miami, and almost no one knew we were there. Messi wanted it quiet, no noise, no cameras. We stayed at a hotel facing the stadium. He sat on the balcony, staring at the Camp Nou, and said softly: ‘All this place… holds a part of me.’

I couldn’t say anything — I just smiled and told him, ‘That’s right, Leo… there’s no club in the world worthy of you other than Barcelona.’

After dinner, he asked to stop by the stadium. He got out, stood alone in the middle of Camp Nou, and looked around in silence at the turf that witnessed his greatest glories. Then he whispered: ‘One day… I’ll come back.’

That moment will never leave my memory. It wasn’t just a visit — it was a promise. And when Messi speaks that calmly… it means something’s coming.”