The rise of neo-Laportism: "Young Barça fans may be alternative, but they're not idiots"

BarcelonaJoan Laporta cemented the 2021 campaign for the presidency of Barça in nostalgia. Now, at almost 64 years old and after a term with its ups and downs, he's running for reelection. If he wins the March 15th elections, he'll begin a third term and approach Josep Lluís Núñez's two decades in the Camp Nou presidential box. Despite the generation gap in a context heavily influenced by technology and social media, Laporta manages to resonate with many young people. They aren't always Barça voters, but they fuel the narrative favorable to the Barcelona lawyer. At ARA, we interviewed Barça fans between 20 and 40 years old with a strong Laporta sympathy. In their opinion, personality and charisma prevail over a management style often marked by opacity.

Yung Rajola (musician, 32 years old)

"These days, people aren't looking for political correctness. Aura is everything, and Laporta has it in spades." For Quintí Casals, a publicist and musician known as Yung Rajola, this is the key to Laporta's success among young Catalans, some of whom weren't even born when the candidate for reelection won his first election in 2003. As this witness acknowledges, Laporta appeals to a large generation. A sixty-something in office would be embarrassing. "It might seem like a certain hypocrisy, or even a permanent pardon, but it's also part of a very old reality: there are people who are well-liked and people who aren't. And Laporta, clearly, is one of those who are well-liked," argues Casals, who also pardons the former president, citing Lionel Messi's departure as a major plot point: "the context of that decision has been better understood."

Esther Bori (Catalan philologist, 26 years old)

The Messi debacle of 2021 came just months after nostalgia for better times propelled Laporta to the presidency. Five years later, Esther Bori supports his continued leadership of Barça for "conceptual" reasons. "It's not about returning to what we were, but about deciding what Barça should be in an ecosystem where many big clubs have relinquished their uniqueness to become global franchises. Laporta has something that's hard to find: a symbolic project. He doesn't just manage, he represents," argues Bori, who maintains that the former president has already restored Barça's self-esteem "as a political, cultural, and sporting entity with its own voice." For this Catalan philologist, Laporta redeems himself with this symbolism: "The unmet 1:1 rule, the Camp Nou delays, questionable sponsorships, and the devastating blow of Messi's departure."

Xavi Bruguera (music manager, 35 years old)

"The Messi situation is a thorn in our side that we all have to remove, Laporta included. I'd get him his registration and give him a few minutes in a favorable setting," recommends Xavi Bruguera, artistic director of the Wolf club, CEO of Équipe BCN, and another Laporta supporter who was a minor during Ronaldinho's time at Barcelona (2021-2026). He values ​​the former Barça president for being "straightforward, authentic, and genuine," and for having "that charismatic and easygoing quality that young people love." Like Yung Rajola, he would forgive him for things that would embarrass his own father because "his charisma is such that we're captivated by whatever he does." An "aura" that "has young people smitten" and that he exudes "when he laughs, when he gets emotional, when he shouts, when he jokes, when he dedicates a sausage, or when he does something as everyday as making macaroni."

Júlia Sabata (cultural producer, 27 years old)

Laporta's pre-campaign macaroni was served at Bar Bocata, one of the trendy spots among a segment of Barcelona's youth belonging to the generation of his three children. The candidate's gastronomic choice was no accident, but rather a platform to showcase his charisma amidst flowing hair and smooth skin.

When asked if he isJulia Sabata, a Laporta supporter, responds: "More than anyone." It's not because of Laporta's pasta that she defends his continued leadership, but because she doesn't believe in formalities and finds refuge from life's hardships in football. "Laporta is one of the people who most made me hear about charisma, character, and the identity of Barça," recalls Sabata, 27, who works as a cultural producer and also contributes to Barça's broadcasts on SER Catalunya. "If someone is to lead an institution, I want them to feel things, to be moved, to be saddened, to be touched. Barça must grow with the conviction of its potential, and that's something Laporta achieves," she adds.

Manel Vidal Boix (screenwriter and writer, 36 years old)

Indeed, the possibility of competing for and winning titles accompanied Frank Rijkaard's (2003-2008) and Pep Guardiola's (2008-2012) Barça. Like Hansi Flick, both coaches were Laporta's choice, and Manel Vidal Boix, one of the founding members of The CassockVidal defines him as "an uninhibited winner in a country with leaders like Salvador Illa, Pere Aragonès, or Quim Torra." He believes the incumbent connects with young people—even those who reject traditional masculine stereotypes—"because he wins a lot, and he wins for reasons attributable to decisions he's made himself." "Young people may be alternative, but they're not idiots. Besides, I suppose a good number of alternative young people allow themselves a more relaxed morality when they apply it to Barça. In fact, that's one of the charms of football," adds the screenwriter from Girona, who predicts that if Laporta wins the election, he'll bring with him the wounds with Messi: "broken."

Pol Solernou (content creator, 25 years old)

"I need three more books and two documentaries to understand what happened with Messi," says Pol Solernou, who, despite the trauma, absolves the former president of being "the only one to blame." In fact, this Catalan content creator sees that, in sporting terms, Messi has not only turned the page, but has "gone from playing in the Europa League to winning La Liga titles and reaching Champions League semi-finals." He also recalls that he "learned to love Barça with Laporta as president" and that over the years "he has become a unique leader, almost a cult figure." He likes his style despite the generational gap – "I can't imagine him looking TikToks while making dinner, to be honest"—and even detects that "she has left behind the image of cigar maker "To be more of an uncle or brother-in-law who's an ally." In short, Solernou belongs to the generation of young Barcelona fans who, in a way, metabolize their Barcelona fandom through contributions.