Overview
- Joan Laporta says his relationship with Lionel Messi is strained and recounts that Messi declined to greet him at the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
- Laporta defends Messi’s 2021 exit by citing unaffordable renewal terms and rejecting a long‑term CVC deal, and he backs a statue and stadium tribute once renovations finish.
- Candidate Víctor Font pledges to bring Messi back to play a farewell at Spotify Camp Nou and to propose him as Honorary President, arguing it will not happen under Laporta.
- Messi is contracted to Inter Miami through 2028, so any playing return would depend on his consent and an agreement with the MLS club.
- Other contenders are also making headline promises, with Xavier Vilajoana naming Harry Kane as a target, as members head toward a mid‑March vote.