Joan Laporta was elected as Barcelona’s president on Sunday with about 58 percent of the vote, putting him in charge of an organization that is in dire need of positive leadership after his predecessor(Josep Maria Bartomeu) resigned on 27 October 2020 and the pandemic strained club finances.
Laporta, whose central pledge was to keep Lionel Messi at the club, oversaw the appointment of Pep Guardiola as head coach in his previous spell at the club between 2003-2010. When a 22-year-old Lionel Messi was entering the stratosphere of global Football, Laporta was in charge of the Catalans, and because of his background or little to no relationship that he feels he can use to persuade the Argentinian International to stay at the club.
Laporta’s long-term duties are to help steer the club from its crisis and the very huge backlash of a debt that is hanging on the club’s back. This debt is largely linked to the economic impact of Covid-19. The club has a gross debt of nearly $1.4 billion promoting unpopular wage reductions for some squad members.
Victor Font was second with 30% of the vote, with Toni Freixa a distant third. After this election, Laporta is set to be in power until 2026.
During his first reign, he led the club to win;4 La Liga, 1 Copa Del Rey, 3 Spanish Super Cups, 2 UEFA Champion Leagues, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 FIFA Club World Cup.
If Messi wants to leave the club, he will have to pay $830 million to the club.“I wanted to go because I thought about living my last years of football happily,” Messi said. His contract expires this summer, which means Joan needs to work first to keep him in the club.
Manchester City has emerged as a hopeful frontrunner for Messi’s signature.
