Former Barcelona President Launches Harsh Attack on Lionel Messi

Joan Gaspart questioned the Argentine’s stance over a possible farewell tribute and insisted his return should not depend on Joan Laporta’s presence at the club.

Gaspart demands a farewell with no conditions

Joan Gaspart sent a direct message to Lionel Messi over the possibility of the Argentine one day returning for a proper farewell with Barcelona supporters. For the former president, that tribute should not depend on who happens to be running the club.

Gaspart made it clear that his comments come from a special connection with Messi, having been Barcelona president when the Argentine arrived at the club at just 13 years old. Still, he believes not even a figure of Messi’s stature should come before the institution.

“He should be careful. Barça is bigger than any one person,” Gaspart said on the Solo Para Culés podcast.

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“I signed him when he was 13”

Gaspart insisted his comments were not meant to diminish Messi’s place in Barcelona history. Instead, he pointed to the bond he has had with the Argentine since his arrival at La Masia.

“I say this from the historic affection I have for a player I signed when he was 13 and I was Barça president,” he explained.

Messi went on to become the defining figure of one of the club’s greatest eras and one of the biggest names in LaLiga history. But for Gaspart, none of that changes one basic point: the farewell should be about Barcelona and its supporters, not about any particular president.

Laporta sits at the heart of the debate

The most sensitive part of the issue involves Messi’s relationship with Joan Laporta. Gaspart rejected the idea that the current president’s presence should become an obstacle to a future tribute.

“Whoever the president is, he should come and say goodbye to Barça,” Gaspart said.

He went even further, insisting that if Messi waited until Laporta was no longer in office before accepting a tribute, he would not attend it himself.

“If Leo Messi comes to say goodbye only because Laporta is no longer president, I wouldn’t go to that tribute,” he said.

Gaspart puts the club above everyone

The former president ended with his strongest line of all: “Who does he think he is?”

Behind the harsh wording, Gaspart’s position is straightforward. He believes Messi deserves a farewell worthy of everything he achieved at Barcelona, but also feels that moment should stand above any personal or institutional dispute.

For him, the tribute does not belong to Laporta, Gaspart or any other president. It belongs to Barcelona and its supporters, and he expects Messi to return on those terms when the time comes.

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Gaspart wants Messi’s farewell to rise above any dispute

Gaspart defended Messi’s historic importance but insisted the club must come before any individual.
The former president rejected the idea that Joan Laporta’s presence should influence a future tribute.
His message was clear: Messi should return to say goodbye to Barcelona’s supporters regardless of who is president.