Re-elected Barcelona president: Doors 'always open' to Lionel Messi

Newly re-elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta tendered an olive branch to Lionel Messi, saying the erstwhile club legend and Inter Miami superstar would always be welcome to return.

Laporta routed challenger Victor Font in Sunday's election, earning 68.1% of votes cast by 48,480 club members to retain the presidency through 2031.

He overcame Font's focus on his strained relationship with Messi and an accusation from Xavi, the former Barcelona manager, that Laporta blocked the Argentine midfielder from returning in 2023, two years after Messi left for France.

"Leo will be linked to Barcelona in whatever way he wants to be," Laporta said. "He deserves a tribute (match) and also a statue. That would be hugely significant. Only Ladislao Kubala and Johan Cruyff have statues at the stadium.

"The doors at Barca are always open to him, whenever he wishes, so that he can continue to strengthen and bring greatness to this institution."

A lawyer and former Catalan politician, Laporta was club president from 2003-10, reclaimed the post in 2021 and initiated a personnel overhaul that led to Messi's departure for PSG.

With Messi pulling the strings, Barcelona became a European powerhouse and perennial La Liga champion during Laporta's initial term.

Messi, 38, led Barcelona to 10 domestic championships and four Champions League titles before continuing his dominance in France and with Inter Miami, with whom he won MLS Cup in 2025 along with back-to-back league MVP awards.

Barcelona's all-time scoring leader with 672 goals in 778 games, Messi has maintained he would like to come back in the twilight of his career, which also includes the 2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina.

"Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart," Messi wrote last November in a social media post that showed him touring the renovated Camp Nou.

"It's a place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel like the happiest person in the world a thousand times over. I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do..."

Laporta outlined his priorities for the next five years at Barcelona, the current top team in the La Liga table and an aspiring Champions League quarterfinalist.

"To keep building a great team with (manager Hansi) Flick on the bench," Laporta said. "To win titles, which is what the fans love, but also to play well. And to finish the stadium halfway through the mandate, because that guarantees the club's future on a financial level but also a venue fitting for putting on a show on the pitch.

"We also want to keep the women's team really competitive and to keep growing economically. The best years of our lives lie in wait."

--Field Level Media