the 8 last March, In an election in which sweep almost with the 55 percent of the votes, Joan Laporta became president -for the second time- of FC Barcelona for the next six years.
With the support of the sporting and economic results that the club achieved in its first management at the club (2003 to 2010), Barça opted for ‘safe’, for experience, for the familiar face and the ‘friend’ of several footballers from the squad that existed at the beginning of this 2021. Leo Messi, one of them. The main one, in fact.
His return was taken as a real balm after the management of Josep Maria Bartomeu who left the team sunk in one of its worst sporting crises, and the most serious in economic terms.
However, over the months Laporta’s campaign promises have gradually been diluted to the point that of that “competitive team” he promised with Messi as the commander in chief, there is little left and nothing.
The main flag used by Laporta to return to the presidency of Barça was Messi. He promised, guaranteed his continuity, a speech he maintained when he assumed the reins of the institution.
“It’s not a question of money, this has made it very easy for us, he wants to stay … I don’t think of a ‘no’ from Messi … Don’t worry, everything is fine, progress properly”, were some of his sentences in which he gave as a fact the renewal of the now ex ’10’ culer.
Even the manager signed Sergio Kun Agüero, a close friend of Leo, and is said to have promised him the hiring of Norwegian Erling Haaland, so that he would not have the pretext of going to another club.
The outcome is well known … Six months after being elected president of Barcelona, Messi’s departure is undoubtedly the great condemnation of Laporta, but there are others who are not at all happy with a good part of Barcelonanism.
Then the 7 sins of Laporta, who went from redeemer to hypocrite … At least so far.
1.- The continuity of Koeman.
Laporta took over just as Barcelona were about to play the Champions League round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain.
In the first leg at the Camp Nou the team fell 1-4, so the mission was to go to Paris so that the rout was not greater. The manager visited the staff and tried to inject encouragement, even harangering a “comeback”, like the historic one of 2017 … It didn’t happen.
Koeman’s Barça were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 for the first time in 13 years, and without getting their hands dirty.
Then the failure in Laliga was signed. It was not played well all season, far from the historical philosophy of the club, and to make matters worse he missed points against teams at the bottom of the table, so he reached the last day without chances of fighting the title.
Paperot. Poor performance and did not even fight until the end. With these results and with the consolation of obtaining the Copa del Rey thanks to Messi, the continuity of coach Ronald Koeman hung by a thread, and Laporta along with his management took a couple of weeks to “analyze” the situation.
Nothing happened. Days later he confirmed the permanence of the Dutchman, despite the failure in terms of style and form of play, and the results are not said.
“It has been reflected and it has been decided to give continuity to Koeman because we are satisfied with how this period of reflection has gone. We have known each other more. Ronald has had an impeccable behavior and solutions to small divergences have been sought. the best for Barça “, said the president.
First bad, bad decision. Keep a coach labeled “legend” as a player, but clearly without the ability to head the club now in his coaching facet.
2.- Inability to sell to footballers who do not enter into plans.
The pass market has just closed, but Laporta did not find out in the last hours that he had to lower the payroll and that it was urgent to give way to several footballers who earn very high salaries and who have been left with a huge Barça beach .
Phillipe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic, Sergi Roberto and Martin Braithwaite, among others, were able and unable to negotiate. Except last minute Griezmann and who returned ‘wasted’ to Atletico Madrid (40 million euros and paid 120 for him).
It is a reality that other clubs were not willing to pay the high fees of the players mentioned, who are also far from their best version, but this is where the ability to negotiate comes in, and clearly Laporta and his team do not they had .
3.- The Superleague
Barcelona allied with Real Madrid, or Florentino Pérez specifically, to launch a project that was presumed to “revolutionize” football, and ended in a great fiasco.
The creation of the European Super League that had an ephemeral life, as it took longer to announce which clubs would form it and how it was intended to play, when UEFA and FIFA stopped it forcefully and all supposed participants were detached from the project.
Of the 12 European powers that were going to participate, only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were left. Laporta was unable to unmark when it became clear that this tournament was a utopia. The president of Barcelona remained loyal to Florentino Pérez, yes, to the boss of the staunch rival.
4.- The non-renewal of Messi
This chapter is the most painful and the stain that will mark the second stage of Laporta’s management at the helm of Barcelona. Whatever happens in the next six years.
The same thing: the manager did not know until he had the water in his neck that he had to lower the payroll to renew the Argentine and register him before Laliga, it was something that had been known for months; but again the inability appeared and even the lies.
Messi went to the Copa America without a contract but with the certainty that he would return to renew and oh, surprise !, after his three weeks of vacation it turns out that plans changed and Laporta came out with the speech that “no one , nor Messi is above Barcelona “and not” mortgage “to the club for the next 50 years.
And so easy, what was the banner of his campaign, his greatest certainty, vanished. The Messi era is over with what that means. Courtesy of Joan Laporta.
5.- Repeach Emerson to sell it
On the subject of the Brazilian Emerson Royal it would seem that Bartomeu advised Laporta. Barcelona had the option to repurchase with Betis for the 22-year-old winger, and he carried it out, which was a wise decision, as if the team needed to strengthen some lines, this was the defense.
“I think Emerson is going to help us a lot in building this sports project that we look forward to seeing succeed,” Laporta said when introducing the national team.
And what happened next? That after three days played in Laliga and after making their debut on the right wing, a position in which Barça has suffered year after year since the departure of Dani Alves, they decide to sell Emerson to Tottenham for 25 million euros.
Amazing but true. He was a footballer he needed, with at least 10 years ahead to offer guarantees on the right wing, and Laporta chose to sell him. Yes, of course, the ‘cheerleaders’ of the manager will talk about the economic crisis and all that is well known, but this player was part of the necessary renewal in the nursery. Neither Serginho Dest, who is very green, much less Sergi Roberto, offers guarantees as a right winger.
6.- Sign Luuk de Jong
Seville coach Julen Lopetegui no longer had Luuk de Jong, a 31-year-old Dutch center-forward who is basically an area striker; and why not, Barcelona signed him. Yes, to a veteran half-haired footballer, but who is a countryman of the coach, Ronald Koeman.
Did Barcelona need another center forward when they have Martin Braithwaite, Sergio Agüero, Ansu Fati and Depay himself who can play in this position?
The answer is no. And less to one of De Jong’s shots. This striker was wanted by America and it was with whom Javier Hernández disputed the title in his ephemeral passage through Seville. This is the level of Dutch, not Barcelona. Clearly.
7.- Give the ’10’ to Ansu Fati
And in case something was needed, the cherry on the cake. When it was warned that the minimum tribute that Barça could pay to Messi for a season was not to use the ’10’ in the squad, it turned out not to.
It was announced that Ansu Fati, one of the jewels of the squad that last season suffered a serious knee injury that took him off the tracks, inherits the ’10’ from Leo.
What are the merits of Ansu for using the legendary number? Few, very few, because he is practically a child.
Although, obviously, this is a potential figure who was just beginning to emerge in both the club and the Spanish national team.
However, the issue is not for those who gave him the number, but at least during this season he did not have to use it. It was the number of Messi, the best footballer in the history of Barcelona. For this reason, nothing more.
That’s how things are, only seven of Laporta’s “sins”, of some others that he has in his incipient management.
True, it received the ruins of what was “more than a club,” but the reconstruction began in reverse.