Speaking in an interview (BarçaTV+), Barcelona president Joan Laporta has admitted that letting Lionel Messi leave was the hardest decision he had to make, but he does not regret the call.
Messi had spent his entire career at Barça but things changed last year as his contract expired and the Blaugrana were in no position to renew his deal, despite the Argentina captain being ready to take a massive pay cut.
In the end, the Catalan giants ended up losing the club legend, who signed for Paris Saint-Germain in a Bosman deal. It was a development that shocked the entire footballing world and Laporta has now opened up on the decision to let the superstar go.
“Messi's departure? It was the hardest decision I made. I didn't want to make the decision. Messi is the best player in history, but that was our situation,” the Barcelona president said.
But, he insisted that the decision is not something he regrets as it was the reality of the situation that the Blaugrana were in at the time. He further added that it is time for the club to build a new history and bring back glory days to Camp Nou.
“I had to make a big decision about Messi, but I do not regret it. No one is above the club. With Messi the reality hit us. There's nothing else to it,” Laporta said.
“But Barcelona's history countinues, and with hard work and correct decisions we can return to the path of success. That's what we're doing.”
There have been talks about a potential return for the seven-time Ballon d'Or. But whether such a situation materialises in the near future remains to be seen.