Laporta loses the battle of the narrative

As soon as Marc-André ter Stegen posted on social media that he needed another back operation, adding that he would be out for three months, the club wasted no time in leaking the news that they were so angry with him that his captaincy was in jeopardy. In recent days, several first-team players have spoken out from Seoul, and the message has been unanimous: they all support the goalkeeper. Some, like Raphinha, went even further: "Ter Stegen should be the captain, but in the end, it's not something that depends on us. Since I arrived, he's someone who's always helped me. There are hierarchies in football, and we have to respect them," he stated in a statement to Catalunya Ràdio.

As soon as Barça made the signing of Joan García official, the machinery was set in motion to convey to the public that Ter Stegen had not been a good teammate. In the narrative war, the German was the villain, and the addition in his statement about the three-month sideline, rather than the four required to be considered long-term, thus making room for Joan García to be registered, was interpreted as a challenge to the board. LaLiga's Medical Committee will decide how many months he will be convalescing, and they will do so based on the medical reports they receive, not on statements or announcements. On the other hand, Barça's problem isn't the goalkeeper, but rather that for the third consecutive summer they're struggling to reach the 1:1 rule.

"Ter Stegen's absence would be the most direct way to register Joan García," Joan Laporta acknowledged this Saturday, though he didn't say a word about the captaincy issue. The players are honored to support the goalkeeper; it would have been awful to doubt whether a teammate who has just undergone surgery should continue wearing the armband. Meanwhile, the club needs to get to work because, in addition to Joan García, Rashford and Szczęsny are still to be registered, and Ter Stegen has no business being there. So, after losing the narrative battle with the unanimous message of the squad, it would be desirable for them to stop messing around and discrediting the German's image, who already has enough to do recovering from his second spinal operation at 33 years old and with the World Cup looming. A bit of class, really.