Barcelona, Dec 29: Former Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has a simple pitch in his attempt to get reelected to the post.
According to Laporta, he is the best chance Barcelona has of convincing Lionel Messi to stay put at Camp Nou. Laporta is one of a handful of candidates vying to become Barcelona’s next president in an election by club members called for January 24.
Besides having successfully led Barcelona a decade ago, Laporta’s strongest asset to win over voters is his relationship with Messi, whose future with the club is in serious doubt. “I hope to convince Messi to stay a few more years with us so that this beautiful story he has at Barça can continue,” Laporta told. He knows Messi from when he took over the club as its young president in 2003. A teenage Messi had recently joined the Spanish club after leaving Argentina with his family.(AP)
