Lionel Messi's return to Camp Nou is the campaign material for Barcelona's presidential candidate
JAKARTA - The election of the new President of Barcelona is getting closer. The club decided to hold an election on March 15, 2026 local time.
A number of names have emerged as candidates, including current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who is running again.
"The Board of Directors has agreed to hold the election of the President of Barcelona on Sunday, March 15, 2026," the club said in an official Instagram statement.
So far, in addition to Laporta, there are the names of Victor Font, Marc Ciria, Xavier Vilajoana, and Joan Camprubi who have announced their intention to run for President of Barcelona.
However, in order for their names to eventually be listed on the ballot on March 15, 2026, they first need to get 2,321 signatures from club members who support their candidacy.
In the process of getting support, a number of ways are taken by the candidates, one of which steals attention is to call Lionel Messi back home to Camp Nou.
The issue seems to be sexy in order to fight Laporta, who was in charge when Messi left the club.
Two candidates who echo Messi's return are Font and Ciria. Font said the Inter Miami striker would be the first person he would call if he won the election, while Ciria also said Messi should return to Camp Nou.
Ciria further said he would do everything he could to bring Lionel Messi back to the club if he won the election.
"We want our legend to be able to return to the club and not have to do it in the middle of the night and in secret. We will do everything possible to make it happen."
"Messi is an irreplaceable figure for this club. He has to come back with a solid support system and a good structure."
"The Messi-Barcelona relationship has to be like the Michael Jordan-Nike relationship. It has to go beyond the limits, from the commercial and institutional areas of the club to sponsors and player development at La Masia."
"With the best player in the club's history, we can do a lot of things and make a lot of money. Bringing him home is very important if we want to get out of the financial situation we are facing," Ciria said as reported by ESPN at the end of 2025.
Messi recently signed a new contract at Inter Miami to extend his stay with the MLS (Major League Soccer) club until the end of the 2028 season. That means his return to Barcelona, where he holds the record for most goals and appearances, is unlikely.
However, there is still a desire to bring him back in any capacity given his significance for Blaugrana.
Another presidential candidate, Victor Font, who came in second behind Laporta in the 2021 election, recently also said that his first call if he wins the election is to Messi.
Meanwhile, Laporta's relationship with Messi is strained due to the departure of the Argentine in 2021 when Barcelona was unable to complete the extension of the contract they had agreed with him.
In an attempt to heal the wound, Laporta recently said he plans to erect a statue of Messi at Camp Nou as part of the tribute he wants to pay to the legendary player, who never got the send-off he deserved as he left during the pandemic.
However, that way, according to another candidate, will not save the mistakes made by Laporta when letting Messi leave Camp Nou.
"This is not about convincing him with a statue or a tribute match. It's about an agreement that makes the best sportsman on the planet Barcelona's biggest ambassador," Ciria said.
Messi's appearance at Camp Nou in the middle of the night in November 2025 was accompanied by a message on social media in which he expressed his desire to one day return to Barcelona.
"I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, like I never did," Messi wrote on Instagram.
Some of the key issues that are likely to be discussed ahead of the Barcelona presidential election include the club's finances, the redevelopment of Camp Nou which is now in its final stages, and Lionel Messi's role in the future at the club.