Víctor Font proposes naming Leo Messi honorary president of Barça

The pre-candidate for the presidency of FC Barcelona Víctor Font presented this Friday a proposal to “link Barça and Messi forever”, a plan that contemplates the appointment of Lionel Messi as honorary president of the club, the promotion of new joint commercial alliances and the possibility of the Argentine saying goodbye on the pitch dressed in Blaugrana.

The leader of the ‘Nosaltres’ platform has explained that more than a year ago he sent the Argentine player, now at Inter Miami in the United States, a project for him to return to the club and associate for life, in an alliance that, in his opinion, could become “the most powerful brand in the world of sport.”

Font structures its proposal into three main axes: institutional, commercial and sports. At the institutional level, he proposes that Messi, whom he defines as “a universal, unique and unrepeatable asset”, assume the honorary presidency of the club as a representative of the legacy and values ​​of Barcelona fans. This would require a statutory reform that would have to be approved in the Assembly.

“The leadership, the winning mentality and the honesty that Messi represents are a living expression of the club’s values,” says Font, who believes that the Argentine’s figure transcends the strictly sporting aspect and globally projects the spirit of La Masia and Barça’s own style.

On a commercial level, the candidate defends that the union between the club and the footballer would generate new strategic alliances and business lines, especially in the digital and audiovisual field. Remember that during his time in the first team it is estimated that Messi generated around 20% of the club’s income between shirts, merchandising, sponsorships and ticketing.

Likewise, the proposal contemplates exploring synergies with Inter Miami CF, the Argentine’s current club, to reinforce the presence of the Barça brand in the US market and strengthen joint commercial agreements.

In the sports section, ‘Nosaltres’ proposes that, if the player so wishes and depending on the team’s needs, he can wear the Blaugrana shirt again to say goodbye to Barcelona fans in a match, “on the pitch and not in a press room”, in reference to his departure on August 5, 2021.

Font frames the initiative in the desire to “reconcile” the club with the footballer after a departure that, in his opinion, was not “an inevitable economic fatality”, but rather a consequence of improvised management. “As everyone knows, the only impediment to Messi returning home is Joan Laporta,” says the candidate.

“Professionalizing Barça means that no legend ever again has to leave through the back door due to the incompetence of the managers,” he adds, while underlining that the return of the Argentine would also serve to begin a process of stable integration of the entity’s great legends into the club’s structure.