Joan Gaspart issues a warning to Messi: "Barça is above him, he should be careful"

Some wounds never really heal, and the one between Lionel Messi and Barcelona looks like one of them. That much was just confirmed, bluntly, by Joan Gaspart, who served as club president from 2000 to 2003 and held nothing back when discussing the Argentine on the podcast Solo para Culés.

The 82 year old businessman was asked about the warm, emotional farewell Messi received from the Argentina national team this past Tuesday, and whether something similar could ever happen at Barcelona. His answer was direct, almost a warning aimed straight at the player: "As a footballer, no question, the best player in the world. But there's one thing he shouldn't forget: Barça is above him. He should be careful."

Gaspart, who was actually club president when Barcelona signed Messi at age 13, insisted his criticism comes from affection rather than resentment: "I say this out of the historic love I have for a player I signed when he was 13 and I was president of Barça: he should be careful. He's the best player in the world, in part, because of Barça."

A relationship broken since 2021

To understand the frustration, you have to go back to 2021. That year, Joan Laporta returned to the presidency with Gaspart's own backing, and one of his campaign promises was to renew Messi's contract, which was set to expire that same season. The club's financial reality, however, made that signing impossible, and the Argentine superstar ended up leaving Barcelona against his will. That's where the bond between the two sides broke, and the relationship between Messi and the current leadership has never been the same since.

That coldness is exactly what bothers Gaspart, who can't understand why Messi still hasn't had his farewell moment in front of the Barça faithful: "It bugs me that he hasn't come to Barça to say goodbye to the fans. Whoever the president happens to be, he should come say goodbye to Barça!"

But the former president went a step further and put his own condition on the table. If Messi were to ask for a tribute that excluded Laporta, Gaspart made clear where he'd stand: "Who does he think he is? Making his return to Barcelona conditional on whether Laporta would be there or not. If that were the case, I wouldn't go to that tribute."

Meanwhile, the official reunion still hasn't happened. The only time Messi has set foot back at the club since his departure was in late 2025, during a nighttime visit with no advance notice, documented only in a photo the player himself shared on his Instagram account. No tributes, no fans in the stands, just a quiet, unannounced stop that, for now, is the only thing that has happened between Messi and Camp Nou.