Former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart admitted he “went too far” in castigating Lionel Messi for a perceived reluctance to return to his former club.
Gaspart—the man who was in charge of Barça when Messi signed as a 13-year-old back in 2000—called out the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for not returning to Catalonia, suggesting the reason for Messi’s recent lack of recent association with the club that helped make him a superstar is an ongoing feud with current president Laporta.
There’s little secret that the relationship between Messi and Laporta was left damaged by the superstar’s shock exit summer of 2021, at the height of the club’s financial turmoil. At the time, the only farewell held was a press conference, where Messi made a tearful speech ahead of his exit.
Messi was not given the chance for a sendoff in front of the fans at Camp Nou and has only once returned to the stadium since—even that was under the cover of darkness when renovations were ongoing.
There have been rumours that Messi will not return to Barça for any kind of official reception until Laporta leaves his role as president—rumors that Gaspart amplified on a recent podcast appearance.
‘Who Does He Think He Is’—Gaspart’s Extraordinary Outburst
Addressing the talk of a Messi tribute being delayed until Laporta leaves, Gaspart criticised the 39-year-old on the podcast Sólo para Culés.
“He is a great player, the best in the world, partly—I won’t say what percentage—thanks to Barça,” Gaspart said. “Therefore, he cannot forget that. Because of that, I’m still giving him a grace period, but a day will come when it will start to bother me if Mr. Messi puts even the slightest obstacle in the way of coming to Barça to say goodbye to the fans.
“Whoever the president may be, he must come and say goodbye to Barça. If Leo Messi only comes to say goodbye the day Laporta is no longer here, and refuses to come because Laporta is the president, I wouldn’t give him a tribute. Who does he think he is? To make coming to Barcelona conditional on whether Laporta is there or not. If Laporta wasn’t there [because of that condition], I wouldn’t attend that tribute.”
He added: “I say this out of the deep affection I have for a player I signed when he was 13 years old and I was the president of Barça. He should be careful. Barça is bigger than him.”
Gaspart Admits He Went Overboard
The comments about Messi caused quite the stir in the Barcelona community, with Marc Ciria—a candidate in the recent presidential elections—accusing Gaspart of “blaming the best player in the history of football and Barça.”
Now, speaking in a follow-up appearance on the same podcast, Gaspart chose not to apologize for his remarks but conceded he went too far in his criticisms, while insisting no-one loves Messi as much as he does.
“I’ve never apologized to my children when I’ve criticized them for something I thought was best for them,” he said. “You can love Messi as much as I do, but you can’t love Messi more than I do ... I sent Leo a message, and because I love him so much ... I went too far, I went too far.
“Telling him ‘we love you very much, but Barça is bigger than you.’ That could have been the end of it.”
Will Messi Get a Proper Barcelona Send Off?
Messi’s final Argentina appearance in front of a full house in Buenos Aires earlier this month—a spectacle complete with fireworks, a drone show and plenty of tears—was a reminder of how the forward did not receive the same treatment from Barcelona.
Messi’s 778th and final Barcelona outing came on the penultimate gameweek of the 2020–21 La Liga season, a game La Blaugrana lost 2–1 to Celta Vigo.
A low-key affair due to the lack of fans amid the COVID pandemic restrictions, no-one knew at the time that Messi would never pull on the famous jersey again, with his exit an abrupt and shocking turn of events during the summer that followed.
As a result, there has been clamor over the years for Messi to return and be given a proper tribute in front of the fans, who wish to honor the man who helped bring ten La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and countless memories to the club.
Back in September, Laporta told the press that he planned to hold a tribute for Messi once the Camp Nou renovation work was completed in 2028—promising to host a ceremony in front of 105,000 fans—but there has been no official confirmation of such an event.
That proposed date could line up with the end of Messi’s Inter Miami contract, which is due to run until 2028, and a potential retirement from soccer.
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