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Fans on Twitter were left excited as Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski greeted each other during the Laureus Sports Awards. They even claimed that the Polish striker is working as an agent to bring Messi back to Barcelona.
Messi was named the winner in the 2023 edition of the award after the Paris Saint-Germain attacker had led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory last year. He won the Golden Ball as well, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
Apart from Messi, a host of world-class athletes were nominees. The likes of Mondo Duplantis, Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen, Stephen Curry and Rafael Nadal were the other nominees.
Messi, meanwhile, is in the final months of his PSG contract but is yet to renew his deal. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he will leave the Ligue 1 giants in the summer.
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The 35-year-old has been widely linked with a return to Barcelona, so his recent meeting with Blaugrana striker Lewandowski has left fans excited. One of them wrote on Twitter:
"Lewandowski ready for them assists."
Another wrote:
"Messi should forgive him."
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter as Messi met Barcelona's No. 9 during the Laureus awards:
Robert Lewandowski wishes to play alongside Lionel Messi
Since his summer move from Bayern Munich, Lewandowski has become Barcelona's attacking leader. He has scored 29 goals and provided seven assists in 41 games across competitions.
The Polish striker recently said that he's keen to play alongside Messi. He also said that Barcelona is where the Argentine belongs. Barca's No. 9 recently told Mundo Deportivo:
"Messi belongs to Barca, and if he returns, it will be something incredible. We know that his place is here in Barcelona. I don't know what will happen, but I hope that next season, we can play together."
Seeing the two superstars share the pitch for Barca would be a dream scenario for the fans.
The Blaugrana, though, need to free up €200 million from their wage bill to register new players in the summer. So, the process of completing Messi's return won't be a straightforward one.
