Laporta Re-Elected Barcelona President, Opens Door For Messi Return

Barcelona — Joan Laporta will preside over FC Barcelona until at least 2031 after a landslide victory in Sunday’s club elections, capturing 68.18 percent of the 48,480 votes cast by socis. The result, a commanding endorsement over challenger Victor Font, immediately shifts attention to one of the most emotive storylines in modern football: the possible return of Lionel Messi.

Speaking to TV3 moments after the result was ratified, Laporta moved to dispel any lingering doubt about the Argentine’s standing at the club.

“The doors at Barça are always open to him, whenever he wishes, so that he can continue to strengthen and bring greatness to this institution,” Laporta said. “He deserves a tribute match and also a statue.”

The pledge is freighted with history. Messi, whose 672 goals in 778 official matches remain unmatched in Blaugrana colours, left in the summer of 2021 when the club’s perilous finances prevented the renewal of his contract. A mooted return in 2023 collapsed amid acrimony, with then-coach Xavi Hernández publicly labelling Laporta “a liar” and accusing the president of personally blocking the deal. Font weaponised that fracture during the campaign, arguing that Laporta’s stewardship had permanently alienated the club’s greatest icon. The electorate, however, delivered a decisive rebuttal.

Throughout the three-week campaign, Messi maintained the public silence he has kept since departing for Paris, yet confidants reiterated his longstanding wish to re-engage with Barcelona in some capacity. Laporta’s victory speech signals the club is ready to meet him halfway.

Beyond the Messi subplot, Laporta sketched an ambitious roadmap for the next seven years. Central pillars include competitive stability under new head coach Hansi Flick, the long-awaited completion of the revamped Spotify Camp Nou, and a continued investment in the women’s section that has already yielded two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies. “To keep building a great team with Flick on the bench,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “The best years of our lives lie in wait.”

If Messi does return, he would join only Ladislao Kubala and Johan Cruyff as former players immortalised in bronze outside the stadium. For now, the mere possibility reignites a saga that has defined a generation of Catalan football.