Joan Laporta holds court on a magnificent New York rooftop as the night progresses.
Barcelona’s players have long since gone to their lodgings as they continue their lengthy pre-season tour of the United States. As the night has gotten later, so have the dignitaries, including Eric Adams, the mayor of New York.
Joan Laporta keeps shaking hands, laughing, taking pictures, and talking. On this lovely Manhattan night, he greets both old and new friends, making himself open to all.
Joan Laporta, the busiest man in Barcelona, is living another day.
As club president, he has the responsibility of pulling the organization out of a seemingly insurmountable financial hole. He is the mastermind behind the club’s regeneration after Lionel Messi’s departure.
In addition, after years of poor leadership and setbacks, he serves as the public face of an international brand that is working to repair its reputation both on and off the field.
Equality.
Protection.
Education.
Health.
Social cohesion.This is what we’ll be working on with @Refugees 💪#WithRefugees #Mesqueunclub #S4D @eACNUR
More info: https://t.co/CGyYiieiKD pic.twitter.com/YceCoRF1xh
— Barça Foundation (@FundacioFCB) July 29, 2022
“It’s crucial, this season,” he said during a brief moment away from the crowd. “It’s the reason why we improved our team, reworked our finances and developed a strategy: to put Barca as a reference of the football world.”
Barca served as that standard for many years in almost every respect. The Catalans were a dominant force on the pitch, driven by native superstars like Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta. They were a successful business off of it, with one of sports’ most known brands capturing attention all over the world.
Nevertheless, in recent years, when the club’s years of poor administration finally caught up with it, references to Barcelona have shifted.
Messi was forced to leave Barcelona because they were unable to afford him when the money fully dried up. The results dropped as rival Real Madrid positioned themselves as the best team in Spain, Europe, and the world.
When Josep Maria Bartomeu’s administration ended, Barca was in disarray and owed more than €1 billion (£858 million/$1 billion).
Laporta assumes the presidency for the second time. Barcelona’s prime days began during Laporta’s tenure, and the now-60-year-old administrator is renowned for having hired Pep Guardiola back then. With six titles won in 2009, Laporta’s tenure at Barca marked the start of the club’s era of dominance.
Barca resorted to Laporta for assistance as the club approached the precipice in an effort to steer clear of an iceberg that they had created on their own.
“We are working in the right direction now and we know what we have to do,” Laporta says. “I am sure that we will do it again because I did it during my first period as a president. We are working to do it again.”
Laporta was elected in March 2021. His term as president began with the infamous Messi exit, despite vows to keep him, although in the months that followed, there have been a flurry of significant transactions aimed at reviving the team.
Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Robert Lewandowski are all included. With Spotify, a new sponsorship has been agreed upon.
A significant sum of money was raised, with the club receiving €267 million (£229 million/$277 million) via the sale of 10 percent of their La Liga broadcast rights to international investment firm Sixth Street Partners before selling 15 percent more to the American investment firm. In order to negotiate its licensing rights and merchandise, the club intends to raise an additional €200-300 million ($203-304 million) in exchange for 49% of the business Barcelona runs.
All of those deals, of course, carry risk, as Barcelona has chosen, or perhaps required to, cash in on the short term while potentially losing a lot of money in the long term. That debt still lingers huge, and if things don’t work out, it might become a concern that prevents the club from signing key players.
“In terms of financials, we are getting better,” Laporta says. “That’s very important, because it has been a year that we worked very hard on this issue.
“In terms of the players that we signed this summer, we are really happy because our sporting department, they are working very well and they did their best to improve our competitive team.”
He adds: “Yes, I’m happy. I’m happy, more than happy because now we will be waiting for the results of all of this.”
Even though the team still needs to do a lot of work to recover from the previous one, these changes have made 2022 feel like a new era for Barca. There is hope that this season will mark the club’s return to building on past accomplishments by taking a stride into a new future. If the previous season served as the post-Messi hangover, this one will surely be the opposite.
A blend of the old and new Barcelona was performed on Thursday night as an illustration. Currently on a four-match tour of the United States, the team has already played Inter Miami, Real Madrid, and Juventus before taking on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
Laporta and his crew took over New York for the day as a part of that tour. Sergio Busquets and Pedri stood by his side as the team displayed its new Johan Cruyff-inspired NFT in Times Square.
Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets was joined by players for a casual shootaround. Thierry Henry, Xavi, Jordi Alba, and Laporta presented the team’s new philanthropic project at a presentation in the evening.
Laporta was one of many speakers, but South Sudanese refugee and UNHCR ambassador Mary Maker stole the show by sharing her personal stories and future aspirations.
She responded in her best Catalan, “Mes que un club,” to praise the Barcelona supporters who had gathered around her.
Despite its shortcomings, Barcelona is still a major player in the world, and the club plans to expand even more in the years to come, notably in the United States.
“In terms of the U.S. tour, it has been very profitable in terms of image, in terms of resources, economics, and in terms of putting Barca closer to the fans,” Laporta says.
“Our aim was to extend Barca’s brand. It was a way to show the way we work, our philosophy, our values here in the U.S., and at the same time, to highlight to the U.S. and institutions in order to develop our entire global, commercial, brand strategy.
“I think that has been very, very interesting. Actually, we want a strong office in the States. One in New York and maybe open another one in another place.”
He continues: “We are showing our style of playing football that has been recognized all over the world. That makes us different and is one of the pillars of our brand.”
As the clock hits 11 p.m., a member of the crew approaches Laporta with a message that has already been delivered to everyone else still on the rooftop: “We’re wrapping up here. It’s time to leave.”
A bystander answers shortly afterward: “One moment. Don’t you know he’s the president of Barcelona?”
Laporta laughs, finishes up, shakes hands, and walks towards the exit.
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