The relationship between Joan Laporta and Lionel Messi feels like one of those soccer stories told with a touch of nostalgia. The Barcelona president admitted, in an interview with channel 3Cat, that his bond with the club’s biggest modern icon has cooled since 2021, when the Argentine left Culés. What sounded like an unavoidable administrative decision at the time still echoes today as an open wound that never really healed.
“We had a very good relationship with Messi. When we didn’t renew his contract, that relationship was damaged, but we’ve managed to reconnect a bit. What we want now is to give him the great tribute he deserves,” Laporta said, trying to balance nostalgia with diplomacy.
A farewell that was never overcome
Messi left Barcelona in August 2021 after more than two decades with the club and 35 trophies to his name. It was the end of a golden era and the beginning of an uncertain new chapter. Laporta’s board, under pressure from LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules, couldn’t renew the contract, and the idol left in tears, saying he wanted to stay but simply couldn’t. Since then, Barcelona has tried to move on, but the shadow of the number 10 still lingers over the culés like a memory no one can erase.
Laporta, who returned to the presidency promising to rebuild the club and preserve its identity, is now trying to reconcile with the past. He speaks of a tribute, of reconnection, but fans know it comes too late. Messi has already built another life. He played for PSG, became a world champion with Argentina, and now shines for Inter Miami, where he seems lighter, freer, and paradoxically more distant from Barcelona than ever before.
When an idol becomes a myth
During the interview, Laporta was asked to choose between Johan Cruyff and Messi. Without hesitation, he replied, “Who is God? Cruyff.” The answer, though symbolic, carries a certain weight. Cruyff was the architect of the philosophy that shaped modern Barça, but Messi was the one who elevated it to the divine. Choosing one is denying part of the other. Maybe Laporta knows there will never be another player like Messi, but he must maintain the institutional line that the club stands above everyone — even its own legend.
While Laporta talks about tributes, Messi keeps playing. At 38, he maintains an impressive level at Inter Miami, the club that treats him as a global symbol of MLS. Beckham, the team’s owner, has already said he believes the Argentine will still be around for the 2026 World Cup. And honestly, it’s hard not to believe him.