In Barcelona, where memories of Lionel Messi still sit in every corner of the club’s recent history, the question of a proper farewell continues to hang over the city. Joan Gaspart, a former Barcelona president, has now added a sharp public voice to the debate, urging the Argentine to separate any personal differences with Joan Laporta from the bond built with the supporters.
Speaking on the Solo para Culés podcast, Gaspart said Messi should return to say goodbye to Barcelona fans regardless of who occupies the presidency. While he underlined his admiration for the World Cup winner, he argued that no individual can stand above the institution.
“He must not forget that Barcelona is bigger than him,” Gaspart said, adding a warning that Messi should “be careful.” The former president framed his comments as those of someone with long-standing affection for the player, recalling that Messi joined the club at the age of 13 during his time in charge.
Gaspart described Messi as a great player and the best in the world, but said that Barcelona had played a meaningful part in shaping his career. In his view, that shared past should not be eclipsed by the circumstances surrounding the player’s departure or the current leadership at the club.
A farewell beyond the presidency
The former president’s strongest objection was to the prospect of Messi making a future tribute conditional on Laporta no longer being in office. Gaspart believes any farewell should belong to the club and its public rather than to one board or one president.
He said there would eventually be frustration if Messi continued to place obstacles in the way of returning to bid farewell to the supporters. “Whoever the president may be, he should come and say goodbye to Barcelona,” Gaspart said.
Addressing the possibility that Messi might only attend after Laporta’s departure, Gaspart questioned why the Argentine would attach such a condition to a ceremony. He said that, if the occasion depended on Laporta not being there, he would not attend the tribute himself.
The exchange returns attention to the painful summer of 2021, when Messi’s planned contract renewal could not be completed and he left for Paris Saint-Germain. His relationship with Laporta has remained strained since then, with the manner of that exit at the centre of the disagreement.
Barcelona’s changing generations
Gaspart also reflected on how quickly football loyalties shift in a city that has seen Messi’s era give way to a new one. He recounted asking his great-grandchildren whether they would rather wear a Barcelona shirt bearing Messi’s name or that of Lamine Yamal.
According to Gaspart, the children chose the young Spanish forward and even asked who Messi was. The anecdote was offered as a sign of a changing generation rather than a dismissal of the Argentine, whom Gaspart again placed among the finest footballers he has seen.
For Barcelona, the two names capture different chapters: Messi, the defining figure of a glittering modern age, and Lamine Yamal, a new local focal point for supporters looking forward. Gaspart’s message, however bluntly delivered, is that a future reunion with Messi should still be possible on terms that honour the club, the player and the fans who watched both eras begin.
