BARCELONA – Joan Laporta did not waste time on his first day as president-elect of Barcelona and, as he promised on the eve, he went, accompanied by Rafael Yuste, vice-president of sports, to the club’s Ciutat Esportiva to meet in person with Ronald Koeman and the first team squad, to whom he conveyed a message of optimism and confidence before his trip to Paris, where on Wednesday he will face the PSG in the match of return from the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Laporta had a brief personal talk with the Dutch coach, who started at the exit of the locker room and continued along the way to the training camp, where he confirmed his full confidence and placed him. for an upcoming working meeting in which the solid foundations are already laid for facing the future, a demand that Koeman had evidently repeated in recent weeks.
If his meeting with the staff was close, he was especially affectionate with Leo Messi, whom he sincerely embraced and thanked him directly for his participation in the elections. They did not talk about the future of the Argentine nor did they hold a meeting to discuss the renewal, but the image of closeness between the two showed obvious optimism.
Between optimistic and reckless, with disproportionate euphoria, Laporta closed the celebration of his election victory on Sunday night with a house-brand proclamation. “Let’s go to Paris to see if we can get back on track!” Roared the new president amid the roar of his closest ones … And what he could understand as a toast to the sun was repeated this Monday in the sports city. “If we did it once we can do it again,” argued the leader, who by showing himself very close to Koeman and the staff revealed to them his blind trust in them.
Barcelona must overcome in Paris a 1-4 advantage that PSG got in the first leg of the round of 16, with a ‘hat trick’ by Kylian Mbappé at the Camp Nou. Laporta referred to ‘La Remuntada’, the remembered advance against PSG itself in the round of 16 of 2017, when they fell 0-4 at Parc des Princes, but ran 6-1 on the return home.
“I know they are able to get it – but more than anything, I know they will compete,” Laporta said in the locker room, in an unequivocal message that was very well received by the players, some of whom, in addition to Messi , participated in the elections on Sunday.
After his encounter with the first team, Laporta continued his journey through the Ciutat Esportiva, chatting with Barça B players, especially with his coach Xavier Garcia Pimienta, visiting the players of the women’s team and moving. in the pavilion to talk to Pau Gasol, who underwent a medical this Monday after signing for Barça