Joan Laporta: What happened with Leo Messi was sad but necessary
The president thinks Leo had to go this summer because of the club's financial state
Joan Laporta was asked about Lionel Messi’s departure from Barca.
“We’re convinced that we have taken the decisions that needed to be taken,” said Laporta. “The Messi issue is sad, but it was necessary. Because the institution is above everything. We would have put ourselves in a lot of risk. It’s a dramatic situation. There’s a solution but it’s dramatic. If this happened later we would have had one or two more years of Messi, but we have the situation now.”
A two-year deal: It’s been one of the most beautiful love stories this club has lived. In the end it fell apart. That’s life. We have moved forward the post-Messi era by two years. Because what he agreed was two years more.
PSG: I saw he was happy, he had contradictory feelings. I wish him the best, he and his family deserves it. Maybe we’ll be opponents. It’s not nice that he’s gone to a direct opponent like PSG.”
Cold Messi greeting at departure conference: “The coldness of the greeting, the disappointment was huge so it’s understandable. We did not manage to do what we thought. I still hold him in the same esteem. It’s a shame it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to.”
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