Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font says the first thing he will do if he wins next year’s election is pick up the phone to Lionel Messi.
The club is preparing for presidential elections in 2026, with Font once again positioning himself as the leading challenger to Joan Laporta. The 53-year-old businessman was beaten by Laporta in 2021 but remains a frontrunner in the race to take charge of the Catalan side.
Speaking to El Mundo Deportivo, Font said: “The first call I’ll make when we win the elections will be to Leo Messi. It will be the first phone call I make.”
Messi, now 38, brought an abrupt end to his long Barcelona career when financial restrictions forced him to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. The World Cup winner is currently with Inter Miami but returned to Barcelona last week while on international duty, even paying a short visit to the Camp Nou.
His departure from La Liga strained his relationship with Laporta, and Messi has since admitted that leaving Barcelona in that manner was not how he imagined his farewell.
Laporta has stated that a playing return for Messi is “not realistic,” though Font appears more open to the possibility.
As a lifelong supporter, Font says he understands what Messi means to the club. “Personally, as a Barca fan, I get goosebumps, but obviously this depends on him, and what we shouldn’t do is try to use him,” he said.
“I think Laporta has done it, and he’s done it many times, and I think he’s done it wrong; the most blatant example was during the elections.”
Font criticised Laporta’s previous promises, recalling statements the president made during the 2021 campaign suggesting Messi would only stay if he returned to power. “That was another example of a broken promise,” Font added.
If he is elected, Font says reconnecting with Messi would be a priority. “I believe Messi shouldn’t be used, but Messi needs to know that the first thing I will do if I win the elections is pick up the phone and call him.
“We need to embrace Leo Messi and do everything possible to ensure that, as soon as possible, he has the role at Barca that, as he said last week, he wants and that all Barca fans would be thrilled about.”
Laporta recently proposed building a statue of Messi at the renovated Camp Nou as part of a wider tribute. Font, however, believes such a gesture would barely scratch the surface of what the club owes its iconic No. 10. “Having a statue of him doesn’t even begin to cover it,” he said.
