Former Barcelona director talks Messi, Laporta, Lamine – ‘One last dance? I don’t know…’ | OneFootball

FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has returned as one of the protagonists in Spanish media in recent days, especially after he secretly visited the Spotify Camp Nou earlier this week.

His return to the venue sparked hope of a potential return home someday, at least for a last dance before he inevitably calls it time on his career.

His rocky relationship with Joan Laporta, however, makes that possibility extremely bleak, although the president is now considering building a statue of the Argentine star at the stadium in honour of his legacy.

Former director speaks

Jordi Cruyff, the son of legendary Johan Cruyff and Barcelona’s former sporting director, recently spoke to the media (h/t SPORT) on the same and weighed in on whether the statue for Messi at Spotify Camp Nou, like the one for Cruyff, could resolve that tension.

“Well, but my father also had his character, he was rebellious, he was rebellious; and that kind of character and personality. Like my father, Leo Messi is a star.”

“They have the luxury of choosing when they want, that’s the luck that immortals have, the super specials,” he added.

When asked if the Argentine maestro could have one final dance at the Spotify Camp Nou, the former sporting director said,

“One last dance? I don’t know what his plans are, so I can’t answer that, but he’s a very special player because of everything he’s meant since he was a child.”

Will Messi return to Barcelona in the future? (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

“My father has also left at times in better shape and at other times in [even] better shape, but the affection becomes mutual again over time. What is clear is that the one who decides his destiny and his future, when and how, is Leo, just as my father did,” he added.

On whether the World Cup winner could compete in La Liga after years at the MLS, Cruyff simply said,

“I don’t know, that’s something he has to decide. He is in a different league, he has a World Cup just around the corner, and that will be his great passion right now.”

“[There is] also the issue of the League, and he is competitive; that must be decided by two parties, and I, from the outside, do not have much to say,” he added.

Finally, the former Barcelona administrator revealed how Lamine Yamal was close to leaving the club at one point and serious efforts had to be made to ensure he stayed in Catalonia. 

“There was a risk that Lamine would leave Barça. We postponed his debut until we had the feeling that we were covered. He is an outlier.”

“To take care of him, there is already the club. I’m not inside anymore,” he added when asked to give his opinion on how to manage the youngster’s minutes.