Man who oversaw glittering Barcelona success from 2003-10 is standing for election again and outlines vision for crisis-hit club
Joan Laporta is 58, it is 17 years since he became president of Barcelona, a decade since he departed and five years since he last fought and lost elections. The hair is a little greyer and the first thing he says as he takes his seat is that the situation is “complicated”, leaving no room for bombastic promises or grand statements. No point, either. “Voters will reward seriousness, rigour, experience and knowledge,” he says. And yet there’s still a glint in his eye, the familiar hint of mischief.
It is here in this sparse room above his campaign HQ at the Moritz beer factory in Barcelona, and it is there the following morning, 600km away in Madrid. A giant banner with his face on covers the façade of a 15-floor building on the corner of Santiago Bernabéu Street, right by the home of their greatest rivals and the scene of his greatest night: the 6-2 against Real Madrid in 2009. “Looking forward to seeing you again,” the message runs. All it lacks is a winking emoji. So much for no grand statements.
Written by Sid Lowe
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/dec/17/joan-laporta-barcelona-president-messi under the title “
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