Barça president Laporta explains hiring Deco as director of football

On Wednesday, FC Barcelona presented Deco as the club's new sporting director in the press room of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. With Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany's time at the club now over, it is the turn of the former Portuguese player, who spent four seasons in the Barça jersey from 2004 to 2008.

President Joan Laporta began the ceremony with a speech thanking Mateu Alemany for his "excellent" work during two and a half seasons as director of football, but also welcoming Deco, who now officially takes full powers as the head of the football department. For the Culé president, the Portuguese is the perfect person to occupy this position at the club.

Here are the highlights of Laporta's speech:

Grateful to Alemany

"I would like to thank Mateu Alemany for the good work he has done in two and a half years as the head of football. He has successfully managed a very complicated situation we inherited. He has done it with many obstacles and he has come out of it with flying colours, excellent. He has had the ability to build a sporting project. He is intelligent, an excellent professional and a great person. Wherever he goes, they will be lucky. We have a good relationship forever and the doors will be open to him as long as I am president."

Why Deco?

"Deco is the person who has all the conditions to lead the football department. He has been an elite footballer, a team-mate of [coach] Xavi and both have the same football vision. He has been trained, he has been a businessman linked to the world of football and this has given him the necessary knowledge to make negotiations fruitful. He also knows the most powerful and emerging football markets. This summer, he worked side by side with Mateu and he helped to resolve the last remaining deals and played an important role in building a highly competitive sporting project. The harmony is key for this to work. We are at his disposal to help him, but we don't have the wisdom that he does."

Structure

"As president, I am especially proud to see the sporting structure. Xavi, Deco, Márquez, Alexanko, Bojan, Masip, Barjuan... You have all defended the Barça crest as players and it gives you a degree of commitment. It is to be admired."

Confidence

"This is the structure, but it's also about the players doing well. People say that the important thing is that the ball goes in, but for that to happen, there has to be a great team behind it, with knowledge, commitment, courage... We believe in what we are doing, in the way we run and manage the club. I ask the people of Barcelona for confidence because we are in good hands."