Messi and his desire to win the 'beautiful trophy'

"We have a squad to be excited about, this year we are doing everything possible so that this beautiful and sought after cup (the Champions League) returns to the Camp Nou," Leo Messi said last summer in the Joan Gamper game v Boca Juniors. The Champions League was a priority for him. Will he say the same thing again this time around?

Barcelona were in a commanding position to reach the Champions League final against Liverpool, but Liverpool's magic, pressing and desire shocked Barca and the Catalans were knocked out of the competition. 

The Camp Nou are now waiting for Messi. The Argentine will return this Sunday for the match against Arsenal in the Joan Gamper trophy. But the friendly means much more than that. It will be the first game in front of their fans. 

And everyone wants to know what the '10's speech will be this year. It is true that his comments last year were surprising. He wanted the Champions League. Not having won it for several years has made it a priority for him. 

The moment he takes the microphone, the Barca crowd will be quiet to listen to his speech. The doubt is whether he will make clear his desire to win the Champions League once again or if he will not give so much away this time around. 

It will also be the Barca fans' first chance to see Antoine Griezmann in a Barca shirt on home territory. It is unknown how he will be received after turning down the opportunity to join last summer. In one way or another, the Frenchman has expressed in recent weeks his desire to triumph at Barca. 

The start of the competitions is just round the corner and this test against Arsenal will serve to get more game time under the players' belts. It will also be good to see De Jong, Neto and others in action.