Lionel Messi has been once again thrown into the political arena of Barcelona, with the club’s greatest icon turning into the main figure of the buildup of the 2025-26 presidential elections. Opponent Víctor Font has charged the incumbent president Joan Laporta of continuously “exploiting” Messi’s name for his political benefit, thus reigniting the conflict that goes back several years.
Font told Mundo Deportivo that the thought of Messi coming back “really gives me goosebumps,” but made it clear that the Argentine should not be used as a campaign tool. He argued that Laporta was the one who did that in the 2021 election when just a few months after that Messi went to Paris Saint-Germain. “It’s another broken promise,” Font said and then added that his first move as president would be “to call Messi.”
Since 2021, the relations between Messi and Laporta have become quite bad, as evidenced by Messi’s low-profile visit to the renovated Camp Nou earlier this month, which was coordinated during the time when Laporta was away from the city and without informing club officials.
Font is now presenting himself as the candidate who is ready to reconcile with the Inter Miami star. “Leo Messi is the one we have to embrace,” he said and added that Barcelona has to find a role for him that is in line with both his own and the club’s heritage.” His campaign is very much reliant on nostalgia, referring to Messi, Xavi, and Pep Guardiola as the main characters of the sound, well-organized, and successful structure that he wants to revive.
For one thing, Font believes that Barcelona’s future should be built on long-term plans: “Only then Barça will be truly a club of the people and therefore unstoppable. No other club will be able to come close to us.”
