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Why Lionel Messi could decide Barcelona’s presidential election
Robin Bairner
- 19 Dec 2025 11:17 GMT
- 5 min read
Analysis
Lionel Messi’s absence from Barcelona is ‘sad’, according to club president Joan Laporta, who has a strong motivation to see old wounds with the player rapidly healed.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner departed Camp Nou in the summer of 2021 due to the club’s financial problems, but was controversially ushered out the door when his deal expired.
Laporta angered Messi when he suggested the issue could be solved over a barbecue, while the Barcelona chief also suggested that the Inter Miami star could have stayed at the club if he played for free.
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Inter Miami
Lionel Messi
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Inter Miami
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“The Messi topic makes me sad. I’m a Barca fan, but above everything is the institution. If I were a member, I would understand what the president did for the good of the club,” Laporta told RTVE Catalunya.
“I signed Messi’s first contract when he was 16. What we experienced with him is one of the most glorious periods in Barca’s history, if not the most. He deserves a tribute, a statue, full recognition.
“It also depends on the other side. I am willing to fix anything. Messi has given a lot to Barca, and Barca has given a lot to him. I hope we meet again someday.”
Messi has previously intimated his desire to return to Barcelona after his playing career is over.
“Obviously, I’m going to come back. I’m going to be in the stadium as one more fan, following the team, the club and being another fan,” he told Sport last month.
“For the time being, I’ll be here for a few more years. But we’re going back to Barcelona because, as I’ve always said, it’s my place, my home. We miss it a lot. So we’ll be back there.”
Laporta under pressure
Laporta is eager to win support ahead of the 2026 presidential election, and as the club’s greatest player and still a firm favourite at Camp Nou, getting the backing of Messi would be a huge boost for his campaign.
While there has been no date confirmed for the vote, the latest indications are that it will be set for the end of March.
Although Laporta is in a strong position, he has been criticised by former presidential candidate Vitor Font for the club's financial position.
Speaking to Catalunya Radio in November, he said: “Last year's closing reflected losses of €90 million. We asked for a restatement because there were overvalued assets, and we were ignored. This year's accounts hide €80 million more in losses that are restatements in last year's accounts, and this hasn't been mentioned; the Assembly isn't aware of it. There's a lack of transparency.
“We need elections as soon as possible. The members will fight to ensure that the social model does not change and that the club is once again managed efficiently and responsibly.”
Why Messi still matters to Laporta's re-election hopes
As Barcelona’s greatest ever player, holding the record for appearances, goals and assists at the club, Messi’s exit via the back door of the club has cast a shadow over his time with the Blaugrana but is also perceived to be a blot on Laporta's second spell as president.
He departed for PSG in the summer of 2021 when the club failed to provide him a new contract because it would have been impossible to register him.
Messi has since had a strained relationship with Laporta, who he found disrespectful for claiming he could have remained at Barca and played for free.
“Never at any moment did they ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50% and I did it without any problem. We were willing to help the club more. My desire and that of my family was to stay in Barcelona,” he told Sport (via ESPN)
“No one asked me to play for free, but at the same time, the president's words were inappropriate. It hurt because I don't think there was any need to say that.
“It's like taking the ball from you and not accepting the responsibility or taking charge of things. That makes people think and generates doubts that I don't think I deserve.”
For Laporta, healing this rift with Messi would be a popular move among fans and would be a significant step to re-election in Barcelona’s most powerful position. In a vote decided by sentiment as much as balance sheets, the public reconciliation with the club’s greatest ever player could prove decisive.
