“I take responsibility” Barcelona president Joan Laporta opens up the Impact of Leo Messi exit, amid Camp Nou.
Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has accepted responsibility for Lionel Messi’s decision to leave the team in 2021, even though he hastened to add that he initially had few choices.
After Barcelona failed to offer him a new contract, Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021. Then, with €1.35 billion in debt and the effects of COVID-19, Barcelona was unable to offer their captain a new contract.
In response to a question about how the circumstance affected Laporta personally, the president told El Tiempo:
“A lot. It represented a problem at the institutional level that we were not very adept at resolving. Despite the fact that I didn’t have many choices, I accept responsibility in this situation. In actuality, I’ve always had the impression that we could have handled this problem better.
“Having a player as talented as Leo Messi is always beneficial from a sporting standpoint; he is the best player in the world.
In the meantime, the president told Messi that Barcelona is and always will be his home, but he didn’t say much about it out of respect for PSG.
We are working to overcome this situation, and we are confident that Messi is aware of how much we adore him and that Barça is his home. However, he continued, “out of respect for PSG and Messi himself, it is a subject that we cannot delve into very deeply.”
When asked about Gerard Pique’s early retirement, Laporta responded that he wasn’t overly surprised, mainly because he had discussed it with the team at the start of the season.
“No, since we had been discussing it from the start of the season. Piqué is an exceptional player who has served as and will continue to serve as a benchmark for Barcelona. We also get along well.
“He finally made a decision after considering the current sporting environment. Piqué is a winner and a man of the highest caliber of competition, but the coach had already informed him that he would not rely on him as much as last season.
When he ultimately made the decision to retire, he was able to do so with grace and respect as he bid his fans farewell. Because he holds Barça close to his heart, I am confident that he is a person who will support them wherever they are.
Earlier this year, Laporta and Barcelona were interested in Luis Diaz, a current Liverpool winger, but they were fighting a losing battle because the Reds had already begun serious negotiations.
There wasn’t much of a choice. He was a player who really interested us when we arrived, but Liverpool had already entered into very close negotiations with Porto,” the president said.
He is a very gifted player who is quick, has a goal, and is explosive, but he is now a member of Liverpool, and that team has my complete respect.
The club president also discussed Barcelona’s upcoming Europa League matchup with Manchester United, claiming that the game is essentially a Champions League matchup.
The fact that Barça will play Manchester United in the Champions League has somewhat lessened the impact of the draw. The Europa League is a significant competition, and there are many strong European teams.
Although it obviously isn’t the Champions League, we accept it in good sportsmanship. The most important thing is that we survived and overcame this challenge, which could have led to the team’s disintegration.
Speaking of the season’s goals, he continued, “La Liga is currently the top priority, but we also have other tournaments like the Copa del Rey, this Europa League, and the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, all of which we would like to compete in.”
