Speaking on the Solo Para Culés podcast, Gaspart made clear that Messi should put Barcelona ahead of any personal differences with the current president. Gaspart was in charge when Messi arrived at the club as a 13-year-old, and he framed his comments around the historical connection between them.
“I say this from the historical love I have for a player I signed when he was 13 and I was Barcelona president,” Gaspart said.
However, he warned the Inter Miami forward against allowing his relationship with Laporta to dictate whether he returns to the stadium for a tribute.
“Be careful. Barcelona is above you as a person,” he said.
Gaspart believes Messi deserves recognition for his contribution to Barcelona, but argues that any farewell should be about the club and its supporters rather than the people occupying the presidential office.
“Whoever the president is, he should come and say goodbye to Barcelona,” Gaspart said.
He went further by suggesting he would not attend a tribute if Messi waited until Laporta had left office before returning.
“If Leo Messi comes to say goodbye and doesn't come because Laporta is president, and comes on the day Laporta is no longer there, I wouldn't go to that tribute,” Gaspart said.
The comments underline the continuing sensitivity surrounding Messi’s departure from Barcelona in 2021. The club’s financial problems prevented a new contract from being agreed, bringing an emotional end to his long association with the team.
Messi subsequently joined Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Inter Miami, but the question of a proper farewell at the Camp Nou has remained a subject of discussion.
Gaspart’s intervention was not a rejection of Messi’s importance to Barcelona. Instead, he argued that the club’s history and its supporters should take precedence over any dispute between the player and its current leadership.
He concluded with a pointed question about Messi’s position in the matter: “Who does he think he is?”
His message was clear: whatever has happened between Messi and Laporta, Gaspart believes the Argentine should return to acknowledge the Barcelona fans, without making his appearance dependent on who is president.