Bartomeu Pins Messi’s Exit on Laporta Amid Barcelona’s Financial Woes
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has defended his record and shifted responsibility for Lionel Messi’s free-agent exit to his successor, Joan Laporta. Bartomeu argued that La Liga’s financial-fair-play audit under Laporta inflated the club’s losses and blocked Messi’s new deal. Messi left his boyhood club in 2021 after Barcelona could not register his renewal due to a deep financial crisis. While many blame Bartomeu’s overspending and failed transfers, he insists that Laporta’s accounting choices and La Liga’s response made the move unavoidable. Despite Bartomeu’s claims, critics maintain his own mismanagement created the debt that forced Messi out. When Bartomeu resigned in October 2020, the club faced a €1.2 billion shortfall and a wage bill exceeding its revenue. Laporta ultimately called off Messi’s comeback even after the star agreed to a 50% pay cut, because registration rules were tied to a new broadcasting deal. The saga underlines the ongoing fallout from Barcelona’s financial struggles.
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