Laporta: "Keeping Messi was harmful to the club"

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

Due to the club's financial difficulties, it was not possible to offer the Argentine player a new contract. The club's former president Joan Laporta shared his views on this matter.

This information was reported by the euro-football.ru website. According to Laporta, Barcelona refused to reach an agreement with the CVC investment fund to register Messi's new contract.

He emphasized that he considered this decision contrary to the club's interests. "We put the club above any player, president, or other person.

We did not consider it appropriate to agree to such a deal," he said in an interview with Catalunya Radio. Laporta described this situation as one of the most painful decisions during his presidency.

He also added that the departures of individuals such as Ronald Koeman, Xavi, and Gerard Piqué from the club affected him deeply. According to him, extending Messi's contract was excessively expensive for the club's financial capabilities.

As a reminder, Joan Laporta recently resigned to participate in the upcoming elections.