FC Barcelona defeated Athletic Club by a 4-0 margin, and Messi played a big part in it, scoring two goals in the Copa del Rey final.
This Copa del Rey win is the first trophy of Joan Laporta’s new reign as the Barcelona president. This is also the first title in two years for Barcelona as they went trophyless for quite some time considering their high standards.
Their starman Lionel Messi also wanted to leave the club last summer but was not allowed to do so by then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu. However, Messi’s contract ends this summer, and he is yet to agree to a contract extension. But Joan Laporta is convinced that Messi wants to stay at Camp Nou.
Laporta told Telecinco after the Copa del Rey win, via Marca: “Leo is the best player in the world. He’s very attached to this club.”
“I’m convinced that he wants to stay and we’ll do everything in our power so that he stays. Today, we saw that he’s surrounded by a great team. They played some very good football.”
Laporta further said: “We were really eager to get back to winning things and we’ve done it. It was a great final against a great team.”
“The players needed this. We’re happy for the players, the coaching staff and the fans. I hope this is the first Copa of an era of lots of Copas.”
Laporta concluded: “Koeman and the team are doing very well. I’m very happy for them.”
