With Messi watching, new Barcelona president takes office

With Lionel Messi watching closely, newly elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta took office and promised to do his best to convince the star playmaker to stay.

Messi was at Laportas inauguration at the Camp Nou Stadium on Wednesday and embraced the new president during the ceremony. One of Laportas biggest tasks will be to try to change Messis mind after he pushed to leave the club last season. He had his request denied by former president Josep Bartomeu but can leave for free when his contract expires at the end of this season.

“Ill do whatever I can to keep Messi from leaving,” Laporta said, adding that he was certain the star player wouldnt be considering leaving if the stands werent empty because of the pandemic.

Another big task for Laporta will be to restructure the clubs finances amid debts of more than 1 billion euros (USD 1.2 billion) caused in large part by of the coronavirus pandemic.

This will be Laportas second spell as Barcelona president. He was also in charge from 2003-2010, when Messi began playing at the club and when it had some of its greatest success. Laporta also embraced captain Gerard Piqué, who also attended the inauguration along with Messi and Sergi Roberto. Coach Ronald Koeman also was at the ceremony.

“We were very happy then and we will be very happy again,” Piqué wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations Joan Laporta.” AP SSCSSC

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