Barcelona president Joan Laporta met agent Jorge Mendes for dinner on Monday night, emerging from the summit with several pointed jibes aimed at Real Madrid, according to ‘Jijantes’.
The Blaugrana chief began by throwing his weight behind Lamine Yamal in the race for the Ballon d’Or: “I would be thrilled if he won it. In fact, he deserves it. It is given as a reward for an entire season, and Lamine has done more than enough. Beyond his individual talent, he has racked up both collective and individual honours. The league, the Super Cup and the World Cup are more than enough merit.”
Laporta then turned his attention towards Kylian Mbappe, without mentioning the Frenchman by name, to justify the Barca ’10”s public bid for the award: “If Lamine has campaigned for himself, I have not seen any criticism levelled at those who did so previously.”
He also took a veiled swipe at Real Madrid when questioned about Rodri, recalling how FC Barcelona pipped their bitter rivals to his signature: “They wanted him on the other side. He chose Barca, and the fact that he picked us has delighted all the ‘culers’.”
Lastly, he addressed the ongoing plight of Rayo Vallecano and Vallecas. Laporta welcomed the resolution allowing them to return to their home stadium “for Raul Martin Presa and his family”, before landing one final blow: “It was inconceivable that some clubs get land rezoned while others are barred from playing at their own ground.”
