The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, announced the club's intention to build a statue for the legend Lionel Messi at the Spotify Camp Nou stadium, during the presentation of the book 'I Lived in La Masia' by journalist Xavi Torres, as reported by the Spanish newspaper 'Mundo Deportivo'. Laporta explained that the statue will be alongside the statues of Johan Cruyff and Kubala, making it the third statue commemorating the club's icons in the stadium's vicinity.

Laporta stated, according to the newspaper, that Barcelona fans will be very happy to see a statue of Messi in the place designated for the club's most prominent figures, emphasizing that the club holds complete respect and admiration for the Argentine star. He also stressed that Messi will remain connected to Barcelona after the end of his career, noting that the club's doors will always be open to him.

The club president added, according to the newspaper, that the board sees the necessity of honoring Messi in a manner befitting his history, explaining that work on the project is already underway, pending approval from the player's family before proceeding with the final design of the statue. He confirmed that the club is very eager to implement this tribute as passionate Catalan fans of Messi.

The newspaper also indicated that the first proposed versions of Messi's statue began to appear on social media immediately after Laporta's announcement, including a version depicting the famous moment at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium when Messi raised his shirt in front of the white team's fans after scoring a goal.

Another version inspired by his usual celebration after scoring goals, raising his fingers toward the sky in honor of his grandmother, also appeared with the help of artificial intelligence technologies.

The newspaper also confirmed that these currently trending proposals remain just initial ideas, awaiting Messi and his family's approval and the commissioning of a specialized artist to begin work on the official statue.