"The president's words were inappropriate" - Lionel Messi’s words on Barcelona president Joan Laporta resurface amid Dani Olmo registration saga

Lionel Messi's words on Barcelona president Joan Laporta have resurfaced amid the club's difficult situation in registering Dani Olmo. The Spaniard is yet to be registered with LaLiga despite the league setting a deadline of December 31 for the same.

Dani Olmo joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig in August 2024 for a reported €62 million. The La Masia graduate was temporarily registered for the first half of the season owing to Andreas Christensen's injury. However, LaLiga had set a deadline of December 31 for re-registering Olmo for the latter half of the season. As of writing, Barca have failed to register the Spaniard despite it being past the deadline.

Dani Olmo's situation is somewhat reminiscent of Barcelona losing their greatest legend of all time due to registration issues three-and-a-half years ago. In August 2021, Lionel Messi was forced to leave his boyhood side as a free agent to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Messi's departure was reportedly due to Barca's precarious financial situation and LaLiga's stringent Financial Fair Play regulations.

In an interview with SPORT after his departure, Lionel Messi was asked to comment on president Joan Laporta claiming he expected the legendary forward to play for the Catalans for free. La Pulga's response hinted at a clear dissatisfaction towards the president. He said:

"The truth is, as I explained when I left, I did everything possible to stay. Never at any moment did they ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50 percent and I did it without any problem. We were willing to help the club more."

Messi added:

"No one asked me to play for free but at the same time, the president's words were inappropriate. It hurts because I don't think there was any need to say that. It's like taking the ball off you and not accepting the responsibility or taking charge of things. That makes people think and generates all types of doubts that I don't think I deserve."

Over three years later, Barcelona are still struggling to register key players. As things stand, they could lose their summer signing Dani Olmo as a free agent. The Spaniard will reportedly be free to negotiate with other clubs starting January 1. Multiple of the Catalans' attempts and appeals to register Olmo have failed as courts, as well as RFEF (Spanish Football Federation), have rejected them.

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"It was really a done deal" - Fabrizio Romano names Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona as the most dramatic saga he has covered

Lionel Messi's Last Press Conference with Barcelona - Source: Getty

In a conversation on Rising Baller's YouTube channel in August 2024, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano recalled Lionel Messi's shocking departure from Barcelona as the most dramatic saga he has covered in football.

"The most dramatic saga has been Lionel Messi leaving Barca for sure. I still remember that story was insane because, trust me, it was really a done deal for Messi to extend his contract. (...) I have all the proof behind this big story of him extending the contract," he said.

Romano further recalled the proceedings of the fateful day.

“Then I remember the feeling of what happened in the afternoon around 4 PM, when Messi meets with president Laporta and they tell him, ‘we can’t proceed because of financial fair play. We don’t have the green light from La Liga, and the only way is for you to leave the club.' Imagine the shock, those 4-5 hours at the Barcelona headquarters was crazy. That moment was really insane," Romano added.

Lionel Messi's two-season stint in Paris Saint-Germain is far from the best in his glorious career in Europe. The legendary Argentine was heavily linked to a return to Camp Nou in the summer of 2023 when his contract with PSG ended. However, the deal did not materialize, with the Blaugrana legend heading to the United States to join MLS side Inter Miami.

Despite the tragic end to Lionel Messi's stint at Barcelona, he is unarguably considered the greatest Blaugrana legend of all time. The Argentine superstar won a club record 35 titles with the Catalans and contributed 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 appearances for the club.