Lionel Messi: He snubbed me at Ballon d'Or — Former Barcelona president opens up on relationship with club's record scorer

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has opened up on his fractious relationship with Lionel Messi, explaining why they refused to offer the Argentine a contract renewal and how the goodwill between both parties has eroded.

As Pulse Sports reported, Joan Laporta campaigned in 2021, promising to keep Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and in the months after his election, he repeatedly said a new deal was “going well.” 

However, public reassurances collided with the club’s dire finances, and by August 2021, the Blaugrana openly explained that they had reached an agreement with Messi but could not register the contract under LALIGA’s strict salary-cap rules, meaning the club could not legally fit Messi’s wages into the 2021/22 accounts.

Laporta blamed the previous administration’s mismanagement (Josep Bartomeu’s) for the financial implosion and stressed that keeping the club solvent was paramount. This resulted in Messi’s emotional and abrupt exit that summer, despite Laporta’s earlier promises. 

With fresh elections coming up, the nature of Messi’s exit from the club and his disapproval of Laporta’s administration are being utilised as a tool against his candidacy. He addressed the dispute in a recent interview, reiterating that he made the decision not to renew Messi’s contract to save the club’s financial viability.

“We did not want to sign the CVC to be able to register it because we considered that it was harmful to the club,” he said, per Football Espana. “Barça is above players, directors or presidents, and we couldn’t do it. It is what has left me the saddest as president. 

“They are disappointing moments, like when Koeman, Xavi, Piqué or others left. These are difficult times, but we couldn’t accept it. The amounts of his contract if we renewed it were unaffordable, and that is why he could not continue.

“Both Messi and other players I knew from my first stage, and you love and appreciate them. We are very grateful to all these players, but Barça have also done a lot for them. It couldn’t be, and Leo couldn’t continue.”

He admitted that the relationship between himself and Messi’s camp was far from cordial, sharing a story from a Ballon d’Or event. However, he maintained that he will continue attempting to mend the relationship.

“The relationship with Messi is not what it was. There was also an incident at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony in which I went to greet him and he considered that we did not have to greet each other. From there, there was some rapprochement and we hope that this will happen in the future. The relationship is damaged, but he is a legend of Barça.”