5 photos attacking Laporta and possible role in the election

Sunday morning was no coincidence. At least, that’s what is being whispered in the corridors around Barcelona. meanwhile Joan Laporta He sleeps with confidence that he will be re-elected with a winning team in 2026. flick A quiet operation in the shadows was launched as the main weapon of the campaign.

The main character unexpectedly Lionel Messi. your visit is Camp Nou It wasn’t just a nostalgic walk for a man who misses his hometown. This was the first move in what could become a decisive election campaign.

Opponents of Laporta already have a date marked in red on their calendars: November 17 next year. barcelona faira united front of candidates will be born to face off against the current president. victor font, He has already failed to participate in the 2021 match against Laporta, but this time he will return to the fight with a stronger system.

on your side, Jaume Guardiola former president Barça Economic Committee He is an important figure in Catalonia’s business community and will bring economic credibility. association FCB Trackingwhich was only 16 signatures away from formal candidacy in 2015, will strengthen its social base.

They also Joan Campurbi and the movement I’m a clamyou will see numbers like Jordi RocheFormer director of the Catalan Football Federation. But there’s one thing they all know. Without Messi, the chances of defeating Laporta are virtually zero.

Catalan lawyers have everything in their favor. flick He has revitalized the team, the club’s finances are starting to recover, and, although there are doubts, he has many years of management experience that has avoided definitive collapse. But there is a hole in his shield, and that is Leo Messi.

The Argentine star still carries the scars from when he was forced to leave Barcelona in 2021 due to financial impossibility, which many believe is directly caused by Laporta’s failures. Messi has never forgiven himself for that.

He will never forget the fact that he was unable to bid a proper farewell to the seven-time soccer player and was only bid farewell in a chaotic press conference. golden ball I’m wearing Azulgrana.

That resentment still hasn’t disappeared. Just hibernating and waiting for the right moment. And the early morning of November 9th was that moment.

The Argentine player landed in Barcelona with his companion. Rodrigo DePaulteammates at Inter Miami and Albiceleste teams. We both had to concentrate on Alicante I was leaving for a friendly match against Argentina, but decided to make a stopover. barcelona city.

What happens next depends on how the story is told. Barcelona’s official statement said Messi arrived outside the stadium just after 11pm and asked security for permission. Rimac The Turkish construction company overseeing the work at Camp Nou forwarded the question to the Curé board, and the club immediately granted them access. The whole choreography of institutional normality.

But there is another version, and that is the one that circulates near the football players. The story said there was no prior contact with anyone at the club. There was no coordination, no phone calls, no prior permission.

messi, de paul, Pepe CostaA close friend of the Argentine and former manager of the player services office, he was walking near the stadium after dinner. In the darkness they saw the lights of Camp Nou come on. Nostalgia hit them. As they approached the door, the guard recognized the Argentine genius and was dazzled and simply let them in without asking any questions. And then the improvisation began. Someone at the club will find out tomorrow, just like the rest of the world, through social networks.

This last version is the one that resonated most strongly in opposition offices. Not because it is necessarily true, but because it is politically most useful. because? That would mean that Messi deliberately “sneaked” into the Camp Nou without informing the club and without Laporta’s permission.

It was a symbolic act of rebellion. “I don’t need your permission to go home” gesture. And that, in the language of football politics, sounds exactly like a message to a partner: Messi still has power over Barcelona, ​​a force that Laporta cannot control.

Then came the photos. A photo of Messi standing in front of the lawn. He has a sad expression on his face, as if he has returned to a place where he was once happy. De Paul takes snapshots as an impromptu photographer. A couple in love was filming a romantic video when three people suddenly appeared, creating a viral moment that already has millions of views.

Each of those images was a dagger of nostalgia for Laporta. Because while the current president will brag in his campaign about saving the club in 2021, bringing financial stability and trusting Flick, these photos will serve as a reminder to each member of the culé that Barça has an emotional hole. A hall in the shape of Messi, who has lived in Miami for many years but whose soul is still here.

far away from laporta

Leo’s message a few hours after his visit was even more powerful. “Last night I returned to a place that I remember very fondly. A place where I was so happy, a place where you made me feel a thousand times more like the happiest person in the world. I hope that I can go back someday, and not just to say goodbye as a player, which I never got to do…”

It was not an election declaration. It was more subtle. It’s a wound that never heals, a grudge that lingers, and it opens the door to the possibility that Messi may publicly side with the opposition in the next election.

Opponents of Laporta have been meeting in secret for several weeks. They know that to divide is to lose. That’s why, on November 17th, they intend to submit a unified candidate that will represent the cross-cutting front they deserve. victor font, Jaume Guardiola, Seguiman FCB and other important moves.

But they also know that without Messi’s blessing, victory will be almost impossible. They don’t need me to be a candidate. They just want you to establish yourself. Let him declare publicly that he believes Barça need a change of direction. Laporta is not that path.

The visit to Camp Nou was the first step. A move that Messi carried out without coordinating with the club, without consulting Laporta, and without giving him the opportunity to control the narrative. That was truly revolutionary.

This is because in electoral politics, those who control the narrative will control the election. And Laporta has just lost control for the first time in a career that has yet to officially start.

Barça members have fond memories. They remember how Messi was fired. They remember the unfulfilled promise of a return to the Camp Nou. And now they see Laporta nostalgically wandering around the Camp Nou at night, boasting about his achievements during the campaign without even asking permission from the man who built most of them.

There are seven months left until the 2026 election. The opposition parties are already preparing to announce a united front next Monday. The only thing missing is for Messi to take a decisive step, come out of his silence and say what many believe he is thinking.

If that happens, Laporta will face the biggest threat. It is not a political opponent with managerial experience, but the ghost of his own mistakes, embodied in the greatest footballer in Barça’s recent history. Judging by photos from that morning, its shadow still haunts the hallways of the Camp Nou.