Josep Maria Bartomeu has discussed his relationship with Lionel Messi and the Barcelona he wants should he be returned as President.
Bartomeu was speaking on RAC-1 with his comments reported by AS and the prospective President made an allusion to Joan Laporta’s boast of a ‘telepathic’ relationship with the star forward.
“He’s a value to Barca and Luis Enrique has given very good things. I don’t have mental telepathy, but when I want to talk to him, I call,” Bartomeu said.
“We’ve closed a winning cycle and opened another, but we’ve done it quietly.
“I’m not here to choose sides. I like consensus. I won’t respond to things that aren’t true. La Masia works and every year players come to the first team. We’re very happy with them.
“Catalonia? We are a Catalan club but we’re not here to engage in politics. We doubled and tripled the agreement with Unicef. This year, without saying anything else, we gave an extra €3m for other projects.
“The Barca I propose is a reflection of this year-and-a-half. A winning Barcelona, which dominates the world hierarchy, and economically. A Barcelona that continues winning. You have to decide if it is good for Barca.
“Sandro Rosell was voted President and resigned a year-and-a-half ago. I took the same program but in another way. I didn’t consult with him after he left. What I would say is that what worked, wasn’t touched. I’d measure it against the last five years, when Barca won 12 titles and there were 50 in the different sections.
“Enrique had a strange feeling of uncertainty from the members before he decided to extend his contract for another year. He’s produced the best season in the club’s history.”
