A late Cruyff as an attachment and a promise of #MessiStays enough for Laporta to win the elections
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 08.03.21. | 09:05
Joan Laporta, 58, becomes the new president of Barcelona after a landslide victory on Sunday
A true politician in the world of football. That is the precise definition of Joan Laporta, the new president of FC Barcelona, who easily won Sunday's elections at Camp Nou with a majority of 59,51 per cent of the votes. His contenders Victor Font and Toni Freixa, were left far behind, with only 30,97 and 9,92, respectively.
This would be Laporta's second mandate as the Blaugrana's man in charge since he already acted as a president from 2003 until 2010. Under his reign, Barcelona won four La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and one Spanish Cup. Eleven years ago, he was replaced with Sandro Rosell, and immediately after leaving Barca, this 58-year-old lawyer engaged in politics. And the knowledge and experience he gained throughout the years in politics he really did use to clinch yesterday's victory.
More style than substance. That's what the critics say about Laporta's campaign, regarding the fact he didn't speak much about the club's debts and the awful atmosphere surrounding it but based the whole thing on his charm. Oh, and a couple of aces upon his sleeve.
The masks have fallen (AFP)The number one is, no dilemma, late Johan Cruyff - the founding father of the modern-day Barcelona we know. Laporta not only talked about the importance of preserving Cruyff's legacy but even didn't hesitate to wear memorabilia attached to the legendary Dutch. So the new president of Barca and his associates came to polling stations at Camp Nou wearing an orange anti-covid masks with a number '14' on it, as a blatant association to former Blaugrana's player, coach and honorary president.
Just to make sure that things go smoothly for him when it comes to voters' sympathy (the club's most loyal fans predominantly), he brought up Lionel Messi's name to the table. As an experienced politician, Laporta made a huge pre-election promise that could easily end up in the trash as soon as July.
"People talk about what Leo Messi earns. I prefer to talk about what he makes.
"I have credibility with Leo.
"If I win, why would I wait until tomorrow? I'll call Mesi's dad on the election night."
Not bad, huh? Tell the people what they want to hear and later... Well, as the Spaniards would say, "Que sera, sera". Whatever will be, will be. This is especially true if we know that PSG has an eye on the Argentine magician for months, if not even longer. However, the fact that Messi himself voted yesterday, for the first time since he arrived in Catalonia, brought some hope to the fans that it means he is about to stay for long.
Yes, finally, it would be a shame not to mention Laporta's filthiest campaign move, when he published a giant poster of his in Madrid, near the very Santiago Bernabeu stadium with a powerful message, saying, "Want to see you again".
Well, the voters have made pretty clear they have fallen on Laporta's undeniable charm. Let's see if he can really get the fallen giants back to where they belong.
