Lionel Messi faxing in his request to terminate his Barcelona contract has sparked the imagination of fans around the world.

Perhaps the most hopeful are supporters of Messi's boyhood club in Argentina, Newell's Old Boys, who held a rally in Rosario on Thursday, hoping they could lure the superstar back home.

Roberto Mensi, leader of Newell's fans group spoke on the dreams of a Messi return:

"We imagined that Leo and his family were always going to live in Barcelona but since he left now, we showed our heads out and said, 'Well, here we are.' We know that perhaps this won't be the moment but we do want to show as a club that Leo has the doors open here to return whenever he wants."

"What we have to offer to Messi as a club is for him to reconnect with that way of understanding life, to understand the universe of Newell's and this stadium and that he meets again with the most amateur side of his formation and that he reconnects with his friends and that he does it in his hometown."

"Fundamentally for the affective side, because we have known him but also for his public sayings. That is what excites us the most. He has made public statements that he would like to play for Newell's and well, hopefully that will happen."