"I've spoken to everyone": Víctor Font's plan to bring Leo Messi back

BarcelonaLeo Messi has become a secondary figure in the Barcelona elections. Although just a few days ago Marc Ciria presented his project for his return to the club with a large banner above Diagonal AvenueVíctor Font has announced his plan to bring Messi "home." His proposal includes seeing the greatest player in history back in action, but goes further: he wants him to be honorary president of Barça. "As everyone knows, the only obstacle to Messi's return is Joan Laporta," he asserted. According to the Barça presidential candidate, he presented the proposal to Messi's family over a year ago and it has the player's approval: "We've spoken with everyone." As Font presented it, his plan consists of three pillars: institutionally, they consider it important to bring back an "icon" who "exports Barça to the world." For this reason, the leader of Nosotros proposes that the members' assembly approve a statutory reform that would allow Messi to be named honorary president of the club, a lifetime position previously held only by Johan Cruyff. In the sporting arena, Font has stated that he wants Messi to "say goodbye to Barcelona fans on the pitch." However, his role will have to be defined according to "the player's wishes, the sporting director's criteria, and the coach's plans." "We mustn't forget that Messi has been deceived twice: in 2021, when he arrived in Barcelona to renew his contract, and in 2023, when he wanted to return to the club of his life with Xavi Hernández. After raising his hopes, the board once again closed the door on him."

The proposal doesn't end there. We also want to create a commercial partnership between Barça and Messi. According to the proposal, during his years at Camp Nou, Messi generated around 20% of the club's revenue. For this reason, they propose a commercial alliance inspired by agreements like Nike with Michael Jordan or Federer with ON. According to Font, despite Barça having a contract with Nike and Messi being an Adidas athlete, this partnership would be possible and is being considered. Furthermore, the possibility of establishing a collaboration between Barça and Inter Miami is also being explored to find "commercial and strategic synergies" that would strengthen the Barça brand in the American market.

Messi on campaign

During the presentation of the plan, Víctor Font praised Marc Ciria's banner: "It's magnificent." "It demonstrates once again that we agree," said the leader of Nosotros. Ciria's proposal for Messi's return, which he claims was drafted with the player's consent, aims to generate a significant economic impact (sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandising, associated assets, etc.), of between 200 and 300 million euros. As he explained on Wednesday, it would be summarized as a commercial alliance based on alast danceafter the Argentine plays in the World Cup in the summer at 39 years old.