Barcelona presidential pre-candidate presents Messi as an integral part of his manifesto: ‘The tribute he deserves’

Barcelona, 2026 – Victor Font, the man who once challenged Joan Laporta for the club presidency on a ticket headlined by Xavi Hernández and Lionel Messi, has reopened the debate over the Argentine’s legacy by placing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at the very heart of his new campaign.

Speaking at the formal unveiling of his 2026 electoral project, Font reminded members that his Messi-centric blueprint is no late-hour promise but a plan first sketched out in 2022 and personally delivered to the Messi family in 2023. “This that we are telling you today began in 2022,” Font told assembled media. “That’s when we started working on this project with three pillars. In mid-2023, we presented our idea and our proposals to the Messi family.”

Central to Font’s proposal is the creation of an official role for Messi as Barcelona’s ‘Honorary President’, a position designed to bind the player’s global image to the club for life. “Leo’s values reflect what we culers are like. Committed, a leader, honest, and someone who loves Barça very much. He is the most well-known face of Barça-ism,” Font argued, insisting that the appointment would both honour tradition and unlock fresh commercial avenues.

The candidate went further, promising a farewell spectacle at Spotify Camp Nou that would correct what he calls the “abrupt and unjust” departure Messi suffered in 2021. “Leo Messi cannot say goodbye to Barça with a photo and all his trophies behind him. He must say goodbye on the pitch, playing, which is how he moved us,” Font declared, proposing that the scene take place after the 2026 World Cup.

Font’s economic team projects that a strategic alliance between the Messi and Barça brands—mirroring the Jordan-Nike model—could deliver “enormous economic potential,” despite the fact that Messi is personally sponsored by Adidas while the club wears Nike. The suggestion is already proving divisive among marketing experts, but Font insists the numbers stack up.

The presidential hopeful saved his sharpest comments for incumbent Joan Laporta, accusing him of twice misleading Messi—first in the summer of 2021, when financial constraints forced the forward’s exit, and again in 2023, when a much-discussed return never materialised. “Twice! Reason enough to stop serving as president of Barça,” Font said, warning supporters that “this will never happen if Joan Laporta wins these elections and returns to run the club.”

Font also broadened his attack to the current board’s diplomatic stance, claiming that relations were severed not with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez but with the club’s greatest ever player. “We did not break relations with Florentino. We broke them with Messi. It is extremely serious,” he stated, alleging that while Madrid benefit from favourable refereeing, Barcelona remain alienated from their own legends.

With ballots still months away, Font has set an emotive tone: restore the bond with Messi, capitalise on his brand, and stage the on-field tribute many fans felt was stolen from them. Whether members view the plan as visionary or merely nostalgic will determine if the Argentine, now 39, finally gets the Camp Nou curtain call his candidacy promises.