The polyglot cyclist who's making waves in Barça's offices.

BarcelonaThere are people close to Joan Laporta who have been asking him for some time, for the sake of his mental health, to relieve himself of some tasks related to Barça, to stop being an omnipresent CEO who leads a meeting about the Espai Barça as well as negotiations for a transfer or the search for new sponsors. the departure of CEO Ferran Reverter in 2022, Laporta's one-man style of leadership has permeated all of the club's departments and fewer and fewer voices have been found. to discuss his position and fewer professionals to free him from having to be everywhere. Managing Barça "like a family business," in the words of the leader himself, also runs the risk of becoming one of the wounds the opposition scratches now that the elections are approaching.

These shortcomings explain, in part, the move to promote Manel del Rio, 42, as general director after three and a half years without Barça having such a figure. Some people consulted for this profile, both inside and outside Barça, have given vague answers when asked about the protagonist: "I have no references about him"; "He is a very Laporta-like professional"; "It will be very difficult for you to have enough information about him to write anything." Unlike Reverter, who quickly became a media figure, Del Rio has always remained in the background since signing for Barça in 2022. He arrived as financial director, from the multinational artistic painting company Royal Talens, and reporting directly to Maribel Meléndez, the club's corporate director at the time. In fact, his recent appointment as general director has gone largely unnoticed. "He's a general director, not a CEO. He'll relieve some of the club of some duties," he said. Manana [Giorgadze, the head of the presidential cabinet], but not Jan," they emphasize in the ARA from the Barça noble floor.

Now in possession of this new position, Del Rio has had to take a step forward in the media sphere. He debuted with an interview on RAC1 on Wednesday and is doing more sessions during these days. Until now, he had only answered questions from the club and had participated in information sessions. off the record alongside the current Barça financial director, Marcel Ramírez, who has held the Camp Nou offices since Josep Maria Bartomeu's tenure. However, Del Rio will not be the one defending the numbers at the October 19th meeting. Treasurer Ferran Olivé, which must admit €17 million in losses in fiscal year 2024-25 and 230 accumulated losses during Laporta's term. He will also announce 1.075 billion in budgeted revenue for the current fiscal year.

The elegance of Del Rio

At the last meeting with journalists, Del Rio appeared wearing a white shirt, a fitted navy blue blazer, and matching skinny pants with elastic and drawstring. His footwear included white sneakers from the exclusive Hogan brand with matching laces. "He's very elegant in his manner and also in his dress," explains the club's public area, where his athletic side also stands out, with cycling as his main hobby. The mountains surrounding Barcelona are a familiar sight for Del Rio, who lives outside the city with his wife and two young children. "He's a believer, traditional, and very polite. He greets everyone, from the first employee to the cleaning staff," adds a person with whom he shares his daily life.

"Manel arrived with a low profile and quietly made his place when Maribel [Meléndez, who was fired by Laporta in 2024] left. In fact, he was already signed with the prospect of one day becoming Maribel's replacement," the club said. "He is very square in the good sense of the word, he has a very financial point of view. Unlike Reverter, Manel has no aspirations of taking space from Jan, which is why Jan has so much confidence in him. He is already part of the family". In this sense, at Camp Nou they remember that he arrived at the club as a top-level bet, without having to pass complicated selection tests, and that he joins the privileged circle of executives with the utmost loyalty to Laporta along with Joan Sentelles (Espai Barça), César Martínez (new businesses) or Sergi Atienza (regulatory compliance). "He will be a docile general director with the president," predicts one of the people consulted.

A before and after

According to sources close to Laporta, the day the president confirmed that the bet on Del Rio was optimal was at the 2024 Mobile World Congress, when the financier explained the Camp Nou project to the attendees, commanding the stage and the tempo with perfect English. "It's been a while since I've seen someone from the club shine like this," Aristides Maillol assures. "There, with Laporta present, Manel wanted to stand out. On the other hand, when a topic doesn't interest him, he switches off and it shows," they point out. Regarding English, a true must In executive positions that command six-figure annual salaries, the club says it allows him to "sit down with Goldman Sachs [the investment fund financing the Camp Nou renovation] and have a one-on-one conversation." This near-native command is the result of his studies at the universities of Nottingham (United Kingdom) and Beijing (China).