LaLiga

Barcelona president Joan Laporta regrets nothing over letting Lionel Messi go last summer

Joan Laporta in an interview with BarcaTV chalked up the decision to let Messi go as just one of the many things a president has to deal with.

Joan Laporta
Ā© Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesJoan Laporta

Many can state that Joan Laporta is living in a fantasy world, and it would be hard press to not believe those statements, in Laporta’s world Barcelona is a contender in the global transfer market and can buy names like Erling Haaland and Christian Pulisic. In Laporta’s world it was his decision to let Messi go last summer to PSG.

The reality is that Barcelona is still under huge economic strife, and while Laporta would like to make it seem that the departure of Messi was his decision, it wasn’t, it was LaLiga’s who vetoed his contract given that it was over the salary limit.

As a result, Barcelona was forced to terminate, sell, and loan big contracts in order to stay within league limits. Now in an interview with BarcaTV, Laporta continues his rhetoric that he is in complete control of Barcelona’s fortunes and that the club is coming back slowly but surely.

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Laporta ā€œnot sorryā€ over decision to lose Lionel Messi

Joan Laporta of FC Barcelona (Photo by Xavi Urgeles/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Joan Laporta of FC Barcelona (Photo by Xavi Urgeles/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

In the interview Laporta stated: ā€œIf I take stock, it is the saddest decision of all and I would never have wanted to make it, but I am not sorry either because I wanted to put the institution ahead of everything, even ahead of coaches and the best player in history.ā€ The reality was that Barcelona and Messi tried to force the new contract through LaLiga, it was LaLiga that made the decision to not go ahead and validate the deal.

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The Barcelona president continued to stay firm on all of his decisions since taking over the club even the appointment of Xavi has head coach, ā€œYou have to take into account many situations. I’m sure no decision is perfect but I didn’t, I made another decision according to other circumstances. And in the end the decision was good because we have improvedā€, when speaking about the sacking of Ronald Koeman and arrival of the Barcelona legend.

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