'No one is above Barcelona': Laporta has no regrets over Messi's departure

Barcelona's president Joan Laporta has insisted that he 'does not regret' allowing legendary Argentine Lionel Messi to leave Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021. The 34-year-old striker bid a tearful farewell to the La Liga giants, having spent his entire professional career representing the Catalan club.

Laporta, who recently returned to the Barcelona fold for a second tenure in charge at the Blaugrana, has had a lot to deal with, including balancing the books with the club facing huge debts. Although Barca tried to desperately ensure the club legend remains in their books, the financial difficulties at Camp Nou made it next to impossible to extend his contract.

That freed the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner to join Ligue 1 giants PSG after being the leading light of Barcelona's most successful period in their history.

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Since then, several questions have been raised if whether both sides did enough to ensure Messi remains at the Catalan club. However, Laporta has admitted sanctioning Messi's exit was the toughest decision but had no regrets.

"Messi's departure? It was the hardest decision I made. I didn't want to make the decision. Messi is the best player in history, but that was our situation," Laporta told BarcaTV+.

"I had to make a big decision about Messi, but I do not regret it. No one is above the club. With Messi, reality hit us. There's nothing else to it," he added.

"But Barcelona's history continues, and with hard work and correct decisions, we can return to the path of success. That's what we're doing," Laporta concluded.

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Messi made 778 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 672 goals, and helped himself to 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns during a record-setting spell in Spanish football.

The Catalan club struggled to find their footing without Messi, having slipped off Real Madrid's title pace in La Liga and also tumbling out of the Champions League on a continental stage. However, since the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as manager and key signing in the January transfer window, the Spanish giants are back up to the third spot and are also into the last-16 of the Europa League. As for Messi, the veteran striker has registered just seven goals in 24 appearances for PSG.