Messi return 'unrealistic', says Barca chief Laporta

BARCELONA, Nov 12 (AFP): Barcelona all-time great Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan giants is "unrealistic", the club's president Joan Laporta said Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Argentine superstar made a surprise appearance at Barca's Camp Nou stadium on Sunday night and said he hoped "one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do".
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, Barca's record goalscorer and appearance maker, left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after two decades there because their precarious financial position meant they could not afford to keep him.
The president, who was in charge at the time of Messi's departure, said he did not regret what happened because "Barca is above everything".