"Relations with Messi are damaged." – Joan Laporta admits the bond between Barcelona and Leo has significantly deteriorated

Laporta claims the club simply couldn’t afford to keep Messi due to the Argentine’s high demands.

Details: As reported by The Touchline in a recent interview, Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted that the relationship between club legend Lionel Messi and Barcelona has seriously deteriorated.

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Laporta recounted an incident where he crossed paths with Messi and approached to say hello, but Leo made it clear they shouldn’t shake hands or communicate at all:

“My relationship with Messi is not what it used to be. There was also an incident at the Ballon d'Or ceremony when I went to greet him, but he felt we shouldn’t even say hello to each other.

Since then, there have been some attempts to reconnect, and we hope it will happen in the future. The relationship is damaged, but he remains a Barça legend.

We didn’t want to sign an agreement with CVC just to register Leo Messi, because we considered it harmful for the club.

Barça stands above any player, director, or president, and we simply couldn’t do it. This is what hurt me the most as president.

These are disappointing moments, like when Koeman, Xavi, Piqué and others left. These are tough times, but we couldn’t accept it.

The figures in his contract, had we renewed it, would have been exorbitant, which is why he couldn’t continue.” Laporta admitted.

Messi left Barcelona in 2021, joining PSG as a free agent. The transfer sent shockwaves through the football world and became one of the most sensational moves in football history, with many Barcelona fans blaming Laporta for not doing enough to keep the club’s icon.

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