The Argentine football icon became a hero at Barca until departing for PSG in 2021 and has revealed that he hopes to return to the city with his family at some point as he did not leave in the way he imagined.

Messi told Diario Sport: "We miss Barcelona a lot. With the kids, continuously, and my wife, we speak about things in Barcelona. The idea is to return there to live. We have our house there, everything, so that's what we want."

The Inter Miami star's comments come after he made an unexpected appearance at the Camp Nou as it is being redeveloped, with Messi's photos racking up more than 22 million likes on Instagram within 24 hours of being posted on the social media site.

It marked the first time that Messi had been back at the Camp Nou since his Barca exit and he had spoken about his excitement to return to the stadium in the interview - which was conducted before his impromptu visit.

The football legend said: "I am really looking forward to getting back to the stadium when it's finished because I moved to Paris and I never returned to Camp Nou.

"And then Barca moved to [the Olympic Stadium in] Montjuïc. It will be strange to go back and see it because the last time I saw it was a long time ago. It will be emotional to get back there and remember everything that was."

Messi believes that he has unfinished business at Barcelona as he left the club amid the coronavirus pandemic, denying him a grand farewell from the supporters.

The forward said: "It's a strange feeling after leaving, because of how it all happened, because I spent my final seasons there playing without fans due to the pandemic. After spending all my life there, I didn't leave as I had dreamed of.

"I imagined myself spending my whole career in Europe in Barcelona and then coming here [to Miami], as I did, because that was my plan. It was what I wanted. So, my goodbye was a little strange, because of the situation."