The Barcelona presidential elections take place later this month, and businessman Victor Font is among the favourites to inherit the leadership of the club following the dismissal of Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Font has commented that he intends on having Lionel Messi stay beyond 2021, despite the drama in the summer which involved the Argentinian handing in a transfer request via fax. Considering that Font has the credentials to bring back stability into the team, his appointment could be what Leo Messi needs to believe in a future at the club that he loves.
When asked about the goals that the candidate had for the club should he be appointed as President, here is what Font had to say:
“Maintain the ownership model and keep winning titles. That is, to be competitive by having the club owned by the members when this winning generation no longer exists.”
And when asked the question about planning for a Messi-less Barcelona:
“Not at all. In fact, our goal is for Leo to continue to be and continue to lead the team on the field as long as he wants to continue playing. When we were talking about Barca post-Messi, surely the best way to define it is Barca post-unique generation of footballers. And that does not happen from one day to the next. “
He concluded, “There were Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Carles] Puyol, [Gerard] Pique, [Sergio] Busquets… and this transition is not from one day to the next, it happens in time. That is why it is essential to have a project and be clear about how to do it. This is what Messi told us in August, there is no project here, they are lurching, patches are put on. That was his frustration.”
