Lopez's Bold Bet: Messi Back at Barcelona — Even If I Have to Sit on the Bench
27 January 2026
Lopez's Message to Messi
Fermin Lopez, Barcelona's young star, sent a personal message to Lionel Messi, Inter Miami's captain, at a moment when Messi is close to signing a new deal that would cement him as a key pillar of coach Hans Flick's project.
During a talk with Mundo Deportivo, one of Barça's legends, Lopez faced a hypothetical question about who he would sign immediately if he became Barcelona's sporting director instead of Deco.
Lopez answered: I would choose Lionel Messi to join Barça; he's a fantastic player, and I've always dreamed of playing beside him.
Lopez added: If it were up to me, I would pick Messi. And if I had to sit on the bench for him, that would be fine! He also noted that Messi left Barcelona in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, driven by financial difficulties that attracted wide media coverage.
Messi currently plays in the United States for Inter Miami and has just signed a new contract with the MLS champions through 2028. At 38, a return to Europe as a player remains unlikely.
Punchline 1: If Messi comes back, I\'ll finally stop asking the barista for the Barça sugar and start asking for Messi sugar instead.
Punchline 2: The only thing more unlikely than Messi\'s Barça return is my plan to win the gym\'s free-throw contest—call it a press conference for the universe to laugh at.
