La Roja coach and former Barcelona player and coach Luis Enrique cast his vote today in the club’s presidential election. Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa are the three candidates in the running. “The president we choose will be the best for the club,” he said when casting his vote in comments carried by Marca. “It’s a strange day, but everything is strange in these times and what we have shown is our ability to adapt. We will try to see the positive side of things.”
Lionel Messi’s future has been a key feature of the debates leading up to the election, with each candidate professing their ambition to retain the Argentine star beyond the expiration of his current deal this coming summer. Of the three, however, Laporta is best placed to do so, it would seem. It was under his presidency, which ran from 2003 to 2010, that Messi broke into the Barcelona first team, and he’s traded heavily on his strong personal bond with him throughout the lead-up to the election.
El candidato Joan Laporta, socio número 13.352, ejerce su derecho a voto en el Camp Nou pic.twitter.com/TEEtmvQUng
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) March 7, 2021
On the pitch, things are looking up for Barcelona, and the election comes at a moment of optimism for a club that’s endured a tough 12 months. Last night’s defeat of Osasuna has closed the gap to league leaders Atletico Madrid to just two points, while youngsters like Ilaix Moriba, Pedri and Ansu Fati have shined under the tutelage of coach Ronald Koeman.
